After Brexit: Britain's Search for a Significant Other

The primary aim of this thesis is to examine the United Kingdom's post-Brexit trade policy through the lens of ontological security theory (OST), analyzing how government discourse constructs trade partnerships with culturally aligned countries as legitimate, despite limited economic benefits. The method chosen to examine actor construction within the trade discourse is Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), particularly its Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA). Focusing on Australia, New Zealand, the CPTPP, the United States, and the EU, it finds that identity concerns and ontological security consistently outweighed material interests. Trade agreements were framed through narratives of sovereignty, independence, and Britain's global role, invoking "historic deals" and "natural partners" to reinforce national self-image. The EU case illustrates the costs of prioritizing identity over material gains, highlighting frictions arising from the TCA and Northern Ireland Protocol. Overall, post-Brexit trade policy functioned as a tool of identity construction, emphasizing symbolic victories and ontological security over economic maximization.