Companies have the opportunity to thrive while their competitors suffer from Brexit jitters, a leading financial broker has said.

Karina Gallagher said there has been a huge shift in the landscape recently, with lenders aggressively pricing funding to win business.

Many businesses holding back on accessing funding to invest in assets as they await the outcome of Brexit, but now may be the best time to act, said Karina, especially for companies operating in sectors where vehicles are a core part of the operation.

Karina, the managing director of Ulverston-based Hornby Commercial, said: “Lending at the moment, particularly in the transport sector is incredibly cheap, so for a business looking to buy, say a coach, a HGV or something similar, now is a very good time to take action.”

Karina says there has been a marked slowdown in SME lending in the last quarter, attributing much of it to a lack of certainty over the UK’s exit from the European Union.

And she says a lack of confidence is leading a majority of businesses to postpone the implementation of growth or investment plans.

But that, she believes, presents an opportunity for the bold to capitalise by investing while their peers and competitors do not.

“It is understandable that many businesses have Brexit-induced jitters,” she said. “But what that means is there is a real chance here for those companies who have the courage of their convictions to really thrive.

“Putting investment off until such a time that everyone decides the climate is right only means you follow the pack.

“Any decision to invest must, of course, be backed by a sound financial plan and projections. And if it is not right for the business for any reason, I see a part of my job as communicating that."