The boss of Kent’s oldest beer brewer said he will lobby Government for more tax cuts if confidence falls in the UK economy following the Brexit vote.

Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Shepherd Neame, said he would push for a reduction in VAT or for a slower introduction of the national living wage if people begin spending less.

Last month the Faversham-based company delivered a “record” set of annual results, with underlying pre-tax profits up 11% to £10.3 million, while turnover increased 1.2% to £139.9 million.

Sales in its 54 managed pubs and hotels grew 4.4% in the year to June 25, with sales of accommodation growing 11.7%.

Mr Neame said: “The condition that makes our business strong is confidence in the economy.

"In the consumer world that comes from people feeling confident about their jobs and confident about their house prices.

“The Government has a responsibility to ensure the public retain confidence in the economy and, thus far, they have, which is encouraging.

"Clearly there are an awful lot of issues to deal with on Brexit over the next few years.

“Shepherd Neame is a very long-term business and I don’t think our behaviour will change very much but all businesses will be asking the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that business and the public have got confidence in the economy.”

The firm, which also unveiled a rebrand last month, has been investing heavily in its pubs in recent years, most notably with a £1.2 million revamp of the Ship and Trades in Chatham last year.

“We are very positive about the business on all fronts,” said Mr Neame.

“We have done a lot to modernise our beer portfolio and a great deal to raise the average quality of our pubs. There is more to do but right now we are in good shape.”

Another company reporting positive results last month was Saga, the over-50s holiday and insurance company based in Folkestone.

It revealed pre-tax profits grew by 8.5% to £109.9 million in the first half of its financial year.

Bosses shrugged off any concerns about the EU referendum result.

A survey of its customers in the days after the vote showed 99.3% would not change their holiday plans after the nation backed Brexit.

Chief executive Lance Batchelor said the company felt resilient against the effects of any downturn.

He said: “We are a proud Kent-based company which has been sending customers around the world for 65 years now.

"These are customers who are not affected by changes in the political scene. Our customers were travelling before the EU and will continue to travel after we leave.

“Even with all the unfortunate incidents happening around the eastern Mediterranean, customers have either moved to the western Mediterranean for their holidays or travelled long haul.

“In insurance, the majority of profits come from standard motor and home insurance products.

"People will still be driving and still have obligations to take insurance. They will also still want to be covered when they travel.

“We are not concerned about the impact of the EU.”