Quite Carol,
Reading through the treasury's long term and immediate forecasts they only focus on GDP.
Indeed I'd say that GDP was a tory fixation, even though it is increasingly viewed as rather a blunt and old fashioned measure.
Sharply put a banker earning £1 million + in the city is very likely better for GDP than 20 lasses earning less than half that elsewhere. For GDP growth however the 20 people are far better.
Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel prize winner, found that when the top 20% increase their earnings by 1% the rate of GDP growth in the wider economy actually decreases slightly.
When the bottom 20% on the other hand increase their earnings by 1% the gdp growth increases by 0.4% per year.
Hence the treasury forecasts didn't make sense and had no relevance to most people, even if they were right! Which they weren't.
If all the bankers had to tighten their belts and sell their second Porsche then the treasury was arguing this was bad for the 'economy'.
The economy they are talking about here is the South East and London, where the top 20% tend to live.
Don't forget that the large investors are looking for opportunities in the UK as a whole and probably have a better grasp of actual, visceral, real time economics than most academics. They'll read the academics of course for their historical insights into trends and effects.
Economists are a bit like military historians. The Generals will read their works but when it comes to real time stuff the Generals are going to take a historian's views with a pinch of salt.
Hence one of the likely effects of brexit is an increase in wages for the lower skilled. I'd argue that this is good for the overall economy even if not immediately for actual GDP which doesn't take inequality and poverty into account.
Another is a rebalancing of economic activity away from the preponderance of London and the South East. The fact that house builders and banks have been hit is therefore a good sign to me, though these losses have clearly been outweighed by positives elsewhere.
Hence when you see remainiac propaganda stating that all those with degrees, or all those who are successful and living in the South East, or all the chairmen of large corporations were voting for remain they are merely talking about the selfish self interest of a group ( the top 20%) which doesn't actually realise it is the problem.
Seeing the overlooked and disadvantaged ( bottom 20%) sticking it to the establishment and greatly upsetting them in the process (butthurt!) is an actual effect ( which has caused great amusement and glee I hasten to add) which could have very positive economic consequences. I suspect they will carry on doing it, not that the politicians can really carry on disregarding their views anyway.