I think in the short term there will be a desperate scramble by the cities to protect their interests, as best they can.
Many of the places voting to remain have service and technology industries, some of which will be lost. I can't see Airbus staying in the UK being owned by the French and German governments, for example. That accounts for over 10,000 jobs in the West of England and Wales. Can London keep its financial interest when banks will be obliged to move their HQ because of EU rules. I think we will see two things.
- Increased polarisation, whereby resources are shared less evenly by London and other big cities.
- The new "leave" government, desperately doing its best to "leave" whilst changing as little as possible.
We already are hearing that the prospective leadership are looking at how they can maintain their position within the economic framework and that does inevitably mean some free movement of people. Trouble is that central have admitted government really does not have any sort of plan, other than to keep bailing.
One other issue that will likely become critical very quickly is the Le Touquet Agreement between UK and France. This sets the UK border at Calais, which is where refugees wanting into Britain are stacked by the French, in the Sangette camp. There are calls in France for that treaty to be reviewed, so I wonder where those refugees will end up? - not to mention the other camps being built at Dunkirk and Le Harve.