JD Vance UK Fishing Trip Broke the Law
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
JD Vance's fishing trip in England was technically illegal because British Foreign Secretary David Lammy did not have the required rod license.
The Foreign Office said Lammy described the lapse as an "administrative error," that he had written to the British Environment Agency to notify them and that he had now purchased the relevant licenses.
It is not yet clear whether Vance had a license—Newsweek has contacted his team, via email, for comment.
Why it Matters
David Lammy's admission matters because it involves a senior UK minister and a visiting senior U.S. official, raising questions about compliance with domestic laws and attention to detail during high-profile diplomatic engagements.
Illegal freshwater fishing in England and Wales carries potential penalties, including fines of up to $3,394.76 and the seizure of equipment, making the incident a matter of public interest beyond diplomatic optics.
What To Know
David Lammy hosted U.S. vice president JD Vance and his family at Chevening House in Kent, southeastern England, and participated in carp fishing from a private lake on the estate before holding diplomatic discussions earlier this month.
Lammy has since admitted that he did not hold the required rod fishing license at the time of the fishing and described the lapse as an "administrative oversight," according to a Foreign Office statement.
Fishing licenses for trout and coarse fishing were available for a one-day period at a cost of $9.91, and the Environment Agency stressed that everyone who fished needed a license to support river and lake conservation and angling activities.
The Environment Agency did not confirm whether it would issue a fine to Lammy when the BBC asked, saying enforcement decisions were assessed on a case-by-case basis. All fish caught during the visit were returned to the water.
Vance's next stop in his U.K. visit was at the Cotswolds, where a protest of at least 50 demonstrators took place, with locals calling Vance "despicable" and telling him to "go home." The vice president is set to visit Scotland later.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy fishes with U.S. vice president JD Vance at Chevening House in Kent, taken on August 8, 2025.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy fishes with U.S. vice president JD Vance at Chevening House in Kent, taken on August 8, 2025.
AP
What People Are Saying
U.S. vice president JD Vance joked after the fishing outing: "Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not."
The British Foreign Office spokesperson said: "The foreign secretary has written to the Environment Agency over an administrative oversight that meant the appropriate licenses 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 licenses. 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."
The British Environment Agency said: "Everyone who goes fishing needs a license to help improve our rivers, lakes, and the sport anglers love."
What Happens Next
If the Environment Agency proceeded with enforcement, the statutory maximum fine for illegal freshwater fishing in England and Wales was up to $3,394.76 and could include seizure of equipment, according to government guidance cited in reporting.
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