Overview

• The Environment Agency confirmed on Friday that David Lammy received a warning letter and will not be prosecuted for fishing without a rod licence.
• Lammy reported himself after the 8 August outing at Chevening with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and later purchased the appropriate licences, calling the lapse an administrative oversight.
• Anglers aged 13 or over must hold a freshwater rod licence in England and Wales, with potential fines up to £2,500 for breaches.
• The agency cited 2024/25 figures—765 prosecutions, 1,965 warning letters, and 159 instances of advice—as context for its usual first-step approach of warnings for novice offenders.
• Commentators questioned whether the outcome reflects unequal treatment, while the agency declined to say whether Vance held a licence and noted Lammy did not catch a fish as Vance’s children returned theirs to the lake.