A police force has confirmed Tory MP Mark Francois is not an officer after he was seen wearing uniform.
The Rayleigh and Wickford MP and deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group was seen on patrol with police officers in his Essex constituency on Friday night.
A photo posted on Twitter showed Mr Francois wearing what appears to be a black stab-proof vest with "police" written on it.
He also wore a white shirt with a black tie and black trousers - similar to police staff in the photograph.
Essex Police has now posted on Twitter to confirm he is not employed by the force, stating it was a mix-up on their part which led to him wearing the police vest.
The tweet on Wednesday read: "We can confirm Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, is not a police officer.
"He joined our officers in Rayleigh to see the work they are doing in Essex and we gave him the wrong jacket. We are recruiting though."
A picture shared of him on Twitter said he was walking around "dressed as a police officer".
Mr Francois' office has been contacted for comment.
Additional reporting by PA.
