The 'Nissan letter' is proof lobbying pays off when stakes are high

It's easy to forget that Brexit, whether hard, soft or somewhere in between, is actually rather a long way off.

We don't know what it will look like, how it will affect us, how much it will cost. But for all the uncertainty, there is one business that appears to be thriving off the back of Brexit - lobbying.

The UK is now humming to the sound of lobbyists earning their keep, trying to persuade us that various bits of the British economy deserve special treatment from Britain's next government, and from its negotiations with the European Union.

In the City of London (LSE: CIN.L - news) , banks claim that up to 70,000 jobs could be lost following Brexit, and demand that politicians take action.

The car industry wants a special deal to protect its products, and so does the aerospace business.

Then there's the steel industry, digital start-ups, assorted professional services, coffee chains and retailers.

Farmers want assurances about tariffs, regulations and subsidies.

Small businesses are fearful of the impact of tax changes, tariffs, labour movement and an array of other things.

Today we had another set of demands to add to the list - a punchy document from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) entitled "Securing the Opportunity for Life Sciences by 2022".

Underneath that worthy heading is the real meaning of this: "2017 General Election Manifesto".

For those thinking that an election manifesto is normally the domain of a political party, think again.

The ABPI lays out what it wants from the next Government - namely a colossal increase in public spending on the NHS, enabling a lot more spending on medicine, more investment in pharmaceuticals and a new structure for assessing how patients are treated.

It also wants more funding for science, more investment in UK medical research and a "regular review of corporation tax".

It is, by any standards, quite some shopping list.

But before all of that is the rationale - the note about the billions of pounds that the industry spends on research and development, the "hundreds of thousands of highly-skilled jobs", and the ability to "change the lives of patients in every corner of the UK".

The message is quite clear - those are the good bits that every sensible government would want to preserve - and this is what you should do to keep our industry happy.

It all sounds so beguiling, just as the lobbyists wish.

Guarantee investment and you make a long-term return in the form of jobs, research and a healthier population. But this, of course, is what every sector is saying, and all come from a position of self-interest.

The ABPI exists almost entirely to represent the UK pharmaceutical industry, so it is hardly going to lobby for a cut in funding.

The same is true for companies and trade bodies up and down the country, all posturing for a place in the national debate about post-Brexit Britain, all of them hoping to be in the mind of the next government.

And lest we be too cynical, there's evidence that this works.

Most obviously, Nissan got a letter from the Business Secretary that appeared to have contained enough emollient words that the car giant confirmed future production plans in the UK .

Very few people are aware of exactly what was in that letter - it has never been made public - but many have assumed it was some long-term assurances over regulation, and it's now quoted regularly as an example of how the Government will offer concessions.

When similar concessions aren't extended to others - be they bankers, scientists, farmers, retailers or anyone else - they refer to the "Nissan letter", and tell their lobbyists to push harder.

And behind the scenes, there are serious talks going on about all these topics - bankers meeting ministers, company bosses talking to negotiators.

It is a slow, gradual process, oiled by public lobbying, so don't expect these industry manifestos to come to an end any time soon.