Britain Re-Imagined: A Constructivist Analysis of British Public Diplomacy Discourse in the Post-Brexit Era

In the wake of Brexit, Britain faces the challenge of reconstructing its national identity and global role. While considerable scholarship has explored Brexit’s political impacts, less attention has been given to how Britain discursively rearticulates its “self” through public diplomacy. This study addresses this gap by examining how British elites construct and communicate Britain’s post-Brexit identity, global engagement, and policy positions in the eyes of foreign publics. Applying a constructivist framework and employing critical discourse analysis, the research analyses a corpus of official speeches, government documents, and elite interviews between 2015 and 2025. The study maps how language, narratives, and discursive strategies in British public diplomacy efforts serve to legitimise Britain’s re-imagined identity, role, and evolving global vision. The findings reveal that British elites discursively reconstruct the nation’s “self” through narratives emphasising sovereignty, resilience, and global leadership, encapsulated by the vision of “Global Britain.” Britain’s engagement with key foreign audiences strategically blends reassurance and differentiation: reaffirming transatlantic ties, selectively cooperating with Europe, revitalising Commonwealth relations, and expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific. However, inconsistencies emerge—particularly between rhetorical claims and practical realities—leading to challenges in maintaining a coherent post-Brexit narrative. On major global issues, Britain positions itself as a leader in security, climate action, and global governance, yet faces tensions between domestic constraints and international ambitions on environmental policy and immigration. These findings highlight the complexities of post-Brexit identity construction and demonstrate the central role of public diplomacy in navigating Britain’s changing role in the international system. The study concludes that Britain’s post-Brexit PD reflects both the potential and limitations of power projection in a fragmented international system. Although Britain seeks to project resilience and leadership, the credibility of its global narrative depends on its ability to reconcile domestic divisions with external expectations. These findings have broader implications for understanding identity reconstruction through public diplomacy in periods of political transformation.<p></p>