Britain's foreign minister David Lammy has referred himself to the environment watchdog after going fishing in a carp pond with US Vice President JD Vance without a licence, the UK foreign office said on Wednesday.

Lammy, who failed to catch any fish during the fishing session at his country retreat in Chevening in Kent, southeast of London, did not have the rod licence needed to angle for freshwater fish like carp.

"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.

During the visit, Vance, who is on holiday with his family in the UK, joked: "Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not."

The foreign office clarified that the relevant licences were purchased after Lammy was "made aware" of the need.

"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."

After a weekend stay at Chevening, Vance continued his holiday in the Cotswolds countryside in southwest England, where locals held a "Vance not welcome party" to protest against his visit and the heavy security presence.

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