Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the UK should not 'underestimate its strength' after Brexit when it will act as 'chain linking democracies around the world' Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will give a speech in Singapore today He will say UK can use its powers to defend democracy throughout the world Even after Brexit UK has 5th biggest economy and 3rd largest foreign aid budget By Jack Doyle for the Daily Mail Published: 00:00 GMT, 2 January 2019 | Updated: 15:15 GMT, 2 January 2019 32 shares 594 Viewcomments Post-Brexit Britain should use its power to defend democracy around the world, Jeremy Hunt will say today. The Foreign Secretary will insist the UK should not 'underestimate' its strength. 'We are not a superpower and we do not have an empire,' he will say in a speech in Singapore. 'But we do have the fifth-biggest economy in the world, the third-biggest overseas aid budget, the second-biggest military budget in Nato, one of the two biggest financial centres, the world's language, highly effective intelligence services and a world-class diplomatic network. 'We also have immense reserves of soft power, with three of the world's top ten universities, 450,000 international students, 39million visits by tourists in 2017, and a global audience for our media, especially the BBC, measured in the hundreds of millions.' Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will give a speech in Singapore today where he will say the UK should not underestimate its strength after Brexit. He is pictured in Myanmar before Christmas Mr Hunt will point to Britain's links with the Commonwealth, the United States and Europe, saying: 'Those connections are why Britain's post-Brexit role should be to act as an invisible chain linking together the democracies of the world ... who share our values and support our belief in free trade, the rule of law and open societies. 'We should begin by being realistic about our global position. That means not overestimating our strength but not underestimating it either.' Mr Hunt will highlight worrying figures showing that 71 countries saw reversals of political and civil liberties in 2017. He will sign a 'strategic partnership' with Singapore covering areas including defence and education. Mr Hunt (pictured outside Downing Street before Christmas) will also highlight worrying figures showing that 71 countries saw reversals of political and civil liberties in 2017 Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility