LONDON — The U.K.’s top diplomat faces a £2,500 fine for fishing without a licence while hosting U.S. Vice President JD Vance last week.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has referred himself to the Environment Agency after fishing with Vance during the vice president’s U.K. vacation. The pair met Friday at Lammy’s official Chevening House residence in Kent ahead of Vance’s trip to the Cotswolds.
The watchdog requires individuals aged 13 and over to have a rod fishing license to fish for freshwater species, which is also required on private land.
A one-day licence costs as little as £7.30 and the fine can be as high as £2,500.
The foreign secretary subsequently purchased a licence and notified the Environment Agency of his mistake.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “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.”
They added: “As soon as the foreign secretary was made aware of the administrative error, he successfully purchased the relevant rod fishing licences.”
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “Everyone who goes fishing needs a licence to help improve our rivers, lakes and the sport anglers love, ” adding “we understand the relevant licences have been purchased.”
While the foreign secretary did not catch any fish, Vance’s children were successful . Vance joked that was “unfortunately the one strain on the special relationship.” All the fish caught were subsequently returned to the lake.
Vance praised Lammy as a “good friend” and “very, very gracious host” during their meeting.
A Labour “source” told the Sun newspaper (which broke the story): “There’s nothing fishy to see here. The foreign secretary isn’t much of a fisherman but he landed a big diplomatic catch getting the vice president to stay for the weekend at Chevening.”
During his trip, Vance has also met Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage, Shadow Justice Secretary and former Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick and Tory MP Danny Kruger, a leading opponent of proposed reforms to assisted dying laws.
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