Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has got into hot water for fishing without a licence.
For his offence, he risked a fine of up to £2,500 (€2,896) for his fishing trip on August 8 with US Vice President JD Vance.
Lammy took Vance out fishing for a photo-op at his country estate Chevening House in the county of Kent, to show the transatlantic friendship still existing between the US and the UK, but he didn’t have the necessary paperwork in order.
He later admitted he did not have the required licence, calling it an “administrative error”.
A one-day licence for trout and coarse fishing costs £7.30 (€8.40).
Lammy has written to the Environment Agency to tell them about the mistake and has bought a fishing licence since to rectify the situation, the BBC reported.
According to the agency’s regulation, people in England and Wales aged 13 or over must have a rod fishing licence to fish for freshwater species and can be fined if they do not have one.
Lammy and Vance reportedly did not catch any fish during their photo-op, but Vance’s children did.
All fish that were caught were returned to the private lake.
The children of Vance were younger than 13 and did not need a licence, but it was unclear if Vance bought one for himself.
In a statement, the Foreign Office 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.
“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.”
Earlier this year, the Environment Agency issued a press release on its “ongoing crackdown on unlicensed anglers”, stating it had caught six people fishing illegally in London, who had to pay a total of £2,182 (€2,535) in fines and charges.
“Fishing illegally can incur a fine of up to £2,500, and offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized. We inspect rod licences 24/7, 7 days a week to check on cases of illegal fishing, and for those caught cheating the system, we will always prosecute.
“Illegal fishing undermines the Environment Agency’s efforts to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable. Money raised from fishing licence sales is used to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries for the benefit of legal anglers,” the Agency said.
The UK is known for the “loicence” meme — a joke on the pronunciation of licence — a satirical jab at perceived over regulation, bureaucracy and nanny-state tendencies where people humorously suggest you need a license for absurdly mundane things, like owning a butter knife or breathing.
https://t.co/gu5MN5gHbi pic.twitter.com/mcGntAEc3R
— Callum (@AkkadSecretary) August 13, 2025
