David Lammy has referred himself to the environment watchdog because he did not have a rod licence to go fishing with JD Vance.
The Foreign Secretary failed to catch any fish when he hosted the US vice president at his grace-and-favour retreat at Chevening House, Kent.
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.
The Foreign Office said Mr Lammy had written to the watchdog about an “administrative error” after becoming aware that he did not possess the required licence, as first reported by The Sun.
“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 spokesperson for the department said.
“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.”
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, the PA news agency understands.
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.
A Labour source said: “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.
“As soon as he learned of the administrative error he got the relevant licences and notified the Environment Agency to avoid getting caught up.”
Mr Lammy found himself in hot water earlier this week over reported plans to invite staff from oil firm Shell and defence firm BAE Systems to work inside the Foreign Office.
Environmental group The Corner House called the move “a recipe for potential serious conflicts of interest” and a pre-action letter addressed to the Foreign Secretary from lawyers acting for the organisation raises concerns about “potential for improper influence”.
Founder and director of The Corner House, Nicholas Hildyard, said the scheme “cries out for judicial scrutiny”, adding: “Seconding employees from powerful corporations to the Foreign Office or other ministries (and vice versa) is a recipe for potential serious conflicts of interest.
“Both Shell and BAE Systems have been accused of human rights violations. This alone places them on a collision course with the Government’s stated commitment to upholding human rights and international law.”
Shell and BAE Systems have been contacted for comment.
