Lammy left floundering: Foreign secretary refers himself to watchdog after fishing without licence with JD Vance
David Lammy has referred himself to the environment watchdog because he did not have a rod licence to go fishing with JD Vance.
Listen to this article
The Foreign Secretary said his lack of a rod licence was due to an “administrative oversight”.
Lammy failed to catch any fish when he hosted the US vice president at his grace-and-favour retreat at Chevening House, Kent on Friday.
Anglers in England and Wales aged 13 or over must have a rod licence to fish for freshwater species, such as carp, according to the Environment Agency.
Fishing without a licence is a punishable offence, and carries a fine of up to £2,500.
"The Foreign Secretary has written to the Environment Agency over an administrative oversight that meant the appropriate licences had not been acquired for fishing on a private lake as part of a diplomatic engagement at Chevening House last week," a Foreign Office spokesperson said.
Read more: JD Vance's secret service entourage 'demanding villagers' social media details'
"As soon as the Foreign Secretary was made aware of the administrative error, he successfully purchased the relevant rod fishing licences.
"He also wrote to the Environment Agency notifying them of the error, demonstrating how it would be rectified, and thanking them for their work protecting Britain's fisheries."
Vance and his family had been staying with Lammy at the lavish Chevening House, the 17th-century mansion set in 3,000 acres of Kent countryside.
During their visit, Mr Vance described Mr Lammy as a "good friend" and a "very, very gracious host".
The vice president added: "Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the Foreign Secretary did not."
All fish that were caught were reportedly returned to the private lake.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "Everyone who goes fishing needs a licence to help improve our rivers, lakes and the sport anglers love.
"We understand the relevant licences have been purchased."
Vance is holidaying in the Cotswolds with his wife, Usha, and children Ewan, eight, Vivek, five and Mirabel, three - while also meeting with figures in British politics.
But his visit hasn’t been uncontroversial, as locals have been expressing their anger at his entourage’s ‘lockdown’ style road closures.
Some locals also claimed that police working with his Secret Service detail have demanded their social media details - which Thames Valley Police denied.
Protesting his visit, Cotswolds residents threw a "Vance Not Welcome Party", organised by "Everybody Hates Elon" and the "Stop Trump Coalition."
Locals have been displaying signs at the roadside that read “Vance you are not welcome” and “Vance stop funding genocide,” as well as “JD Vance: war criminal”.
Both Lammy and Vance have faced criticism over their respective governments' handling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The Vice President recently addressed the differences in policy on Gaza between the US and UK, specifically about the UK’s decision to recognise Palestine, but added that both have the shared goal of resolving the crisis in the Middle East.