Foreign secretary David Lammy has referred himself to the Environment Agency because he did not have a rod licence to go fishing with US vice-president JD Vance.
Mr Lammy failed to catch any fish when he hosted Mr Vance at his grace-and-favour retreat at Chevening House, Kent, this month.
Anglers in England and Wales who are aged 13 or over must have a rod licence to fish for freshwater species, such as carp. Junior licences, for children aged 13 to 16, are free.
The cost for a one-day licence starts at £7.30, and the cost for an annual licence starts at £24.50. Fishing without a licence can incur a fine of up to £2,500.
Offenders can also have their fishing equipment seized, according to the Environment Agency.
“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.
“As soon as the foreign secretary was made aware of the administrative error, he successfully purchased the relevant rod fishing licences.”
The spokesperson said Lammy 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”.
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 returned to the private lake, it is understood.
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.”
Mr Vance visited Chevening while on holiday in the Cotswolds with his family.
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