Immigration officers to get new uniform The new uniform will see the current blue trousers and jacket replaced by a new more complex grey design. Members of the border force will also, for the first time, be issued with hats and shoes. Branding, such as the officer's rank, will be sown into the new jacket meaning a fresh uniform will be required. For the first time officers will be issued with a second more formal uniform - to be used for airport visits by VIPs and court appearances. This will see the workaday grey shirt replaced by a crisp white alternative. The decision to invest in the uniform, which will be worn by all members of the Border Force including Brian Moore, its newly appointed chief, came under fire last night. "It just beggars belief," said Simon Buck, chief executive of the British Air Transport Association. How can they do this when we are facing the current situation. Surely the money would be better spent employing front-line staff to speed passengers through on arrival while maintaining border security. Lucy Moreton, deputy general secretary of the Immigration Service Union was also astonished at the Government's priorities. "At a time of national spending restraint and particularly at a time when carrying companies, the Independent Chief inspector and the travelling public are crying out for UKBA to be properly resourced," she said. It has to be pondered whether this is really the best use of scarce government funding. Chris Bryant, a Labour Home Office spokesman, also condemned the move."At a time when major airlines are reporting major problems at the border due to this government's cuts and morale is at an all-time low, we now discover that £2.5millon is to be spent on redesigning uniforms due to Theresa May's name change. The real priority should be extra staff. After all a uniform can't spot a dodgy visa, or stop a drug mule or protect our border. The Home Secretary needs to see sense, step in and fund sufficient officers to guard our borders before it's too late. A Virgin Atlantic spokesman also questioned the move. We believe that the UK Border Force's priority should be to ensure that all desks at UK ports are adequately manned and automatic gates fully operational. A new uniform is all well and good but from our perspective, this is only relevant once these conditions have been met. A Home Office spokesman defended the move. This planned replacement of uniforms will not cost any more. Our existing uniforms have come to the end of their three-year life and we will replace them from within existing budgets. It will not impact on our important work of securing the border.