Britain’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, could be fined up to £2,500 ($3,394) after admitting he went fishing without the required licence during a visit from U.S. Vice President JD Vance last

week. The pair were photographed casting lines in the lake at Lammy’s official Chevening residence in southeast England before a scheduled bilateral meeting. The fishing session was part of Vance’s working holiday in the UK.

Vance later joked to reporters that the only strain in the “special relationship” was that while his three children had caught fish, Lammy hadn’t managed to land one.

Under UK law, anyone fishing — even on private property and regardless of whether they catch anything — must hold a valid rod licence. Offenders can face fines of up to £2,500.

Lammy’s office acknowledged the oversight on Wednesday, saying the minister had not secured a licence before the trip but had since corrected the error.

“The Foreign Secretary has written to the Environment Agency over an administrative oversight… As soon as the Foreign Secretary was made aware of the error, he successfully purchased the relevant rod fishing licences,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

It remains unclear whether a licence was purchased for Vice President Vance.

Vance is currently in England with his wife, Usha, and their children. They are spending the week in the Cotswolds village of Dean after their stay at Chevening. Photo by Policy Exchange, Wikimedia commons.