Ex-army chief savages bitter remainers as uk second powerful nation

Colonel Richard Kemp, who was believed to be on an Al-Qaeda death list in 2013, took to Twitter to vent about the negativity surrounding Brexit following the revelation in the report the UK

is the world's second most powerful country. The ex-Commander of British Forces Afghanistan, tweeted: "UK is the 2nd most powerful country in the world, but embittered Remainers

say we'll be on our knees after Brexit." He linked to a report about a European Geostrategy study which found the UK is a 'global power' and ranks just behind the United

States, which is classed as a 'superpower' and number one in the world. They defined a global power as: "A country lacking the heft or comprehensive attributes of a

superpower, but still with a wide international footprint and military means to reach most geopolitical theatres, particularly the Middle East, South-East Asia, East Asia, Africa and South

America." France was top of the section below the UK, called 'regional power', with China close behind, then Russia, Japan, Germany, Australia, Canada and India. The section

below that, branded 'local power', included Italy, Spain, South Korea, Brazil then Turkey. Colonel Kemp hit back at Howard Dawber, managing director of the Canary Wharf Group and a

Labour supporter, who took on the former officer, by saying the UK's soft power is predicted to decline after Brexit. He said: "That is what you embittered Remainers hope for.

"In any case it's hard power that counts." Mr Dawber wrote: “We are second most powerful INSIDE THE EU. If you read the article it states our soft power will decline after

Brexit.” Professor Malcolm Chalmers, director of UK Defence Policy Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said in 2011 the UK will "never again be a member of the select

club of global superpowers" but should remain as one of the world's five second-rank military powers behind the US. Remarking on the European Geostrategy study, he added: "I

think my 2011 comment remains valid. "If you take individual elements of front line military capability - air, sea, land — the UK armed forces continue to outmatch those of China in

qualitative terms by some margin. WE CAN MAKE A SUCCESS OF BREXIT: UK DEFENCE SECRETARY "The UK also has greater capabilities for getting the most out of these forces, through key

enabling capabilities (command and control, intelligence, strategic transport)." Colonel Kemp, who retired from the army in 2006 after 29 years, completed 14 operational tours of duty,

including seven tours in Northern Ireland, during the Gulf War and as Commander of the first Task Force Helmand in Afghanistan in 2003. Getty Britain is number two in the world for defence,

with the HMS Queen Elizabeth launched last month Getty Colonel Richard Kemp said Remainers are hoping for the UK to fail He also worked for COBR, the Cabinet Office's Joint Intelligent

committee in 2005, dealing with the London bombings and a series of high-profile kidnappings of British nationals in Iraq and Afghanistan. After he retired he successfully campaigned for

British troops killed and wounded in action to be awarded the Elizabeth Cross. His book, Attack State Red, which documented the Royal Anglian Regiment's 2007 deployment and time in

Afghanistan, was a Sunday Times bestseller.