SIR – Leaving the European Union will bring many changes, most likely including changes to immigration and free movement rules.

There is anxiety for the three million EU citizens who have made their homes in the UK, and the 1.2 million British citizens living in other EU countries. The Prime Minister’s statement that there would be “no immediate changes” to their status will have been less than fully reassuring.

This is also a vital concern for many British businesses and public services employing EU nationals, who do not want retrospective disruption to their workforce at a time of uncertainty.

We would urge the Government, opposition parties and every candidate standing to be the next Conservative Party leader – and hence Prime Minister – to make an unequivocal statement that EU migrants currently living in the UK are welcome here, and that changes would apply only to new migrants. A clear commitment to protect the status of EU migrants was made by the official Vote Leave campaign – and it must be honoured.

By adopting this policy, the UK puts itself in a strong position to seek a reciprocal commitment from other EU members that EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in other EU countries should be able to continue to live and work in those countries. We believe there are principled, practical and legal reasons why this would be the only sensible and decent policy to pursue. Research also shows a strong consensus across Remain and Leave voters in support of this approach.

It would also send a clear statement to the extreme minority – who appear to believe they have licence to attack and harass migrants – that the British public finds their views repugnant and unwelcome in our society.

Daniel Hannan MEP (Con)

Gisela Stuart MP (Lab)

Douglas Carswell MP (Ukip)

Yvette Cooper MP (Lab)

Peter Lilley MP (Con)

Simon Walker

Director, Institute of Directors

Frances O'Grady

General Secretary, TUC

Matthew Elliott

Chief Executive, Vote Leave

Julian David

CEO, techUK

Ian Wright CBE

Director-General, Food and Drink Federation

Professor Sir Cary Cooper

President, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Peter Cheese

Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Nicola Dandridge

Chief Executive, Universities UK

Ufi Ibrahim

Chief Executive, British Hospitality Association

Carol Paris

Chief Executive, Horticultural Trades Association

Sam Bowman

Executive Director, Adam Smith Institute

Roland White

Fellow, Adam Smith Institute

Ryan Shorthouse

Director, Bright Blue

Sunder Katwala

Director, British Future

Tom Kibasi

Director, IPPR

Alp Mehmet

Vice-Chair, Migration Watch

Stephen Booth

Co-Director, Open Europe

David Goodhart

Policy Exchange

Toby Young

Nazek Ramadan

Migrant Voice

Mark Stears

New Economics Foundation

Professor Catherine Barnard

University of Cambridge

Professor Tamara Harvey

University of Sheffield

Professor Simon Hix

London School of Economics and Political Science

Professor Anand Menon

Kings College, London

Professor Steve Peers

University of Essex

Jonathan Portes

Senior Research Fellow, National Institute of Economic and Social Research

Professor Jo Shaw

Edinburgh Law School