Line to Take

A line to take (often abbreviated LTT) is a short, internally-cleared formulation of a government's position on a specific issue, designed to ensure that diplomats, spokespeople, and ministers speak with one voice. Lines to take are a staple of foreign-ministry tradecraft in Westminster-style systems (notably the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Canada's Global Affairs, and Australia's DFAT) and are routinely prepared ahead of press conferences, parliamentary questions, bilateral meetings, and multilateral negotiations.

A typical LTT contains:

• A top line (the headline message, usually one or two sentences).
• Supporting points that elaborate the rationale or evidence.
• Defensive points anticipating awkward questions (sometimes called Q&A or if pressed lines).
• Occasionally, lines to avoid — formulations that would commit the government further than intended.

Lines to take are cleared through interdepartmental consultation, often involving policy desks, legal advisers, and the relevant minister's office. In multilateral settings such as the UN General Assembly or EU Council working groups, delegates receive instructions that function as LTTs, constraining what they may say or concede without referring back to capital.

The discipline of the LTT serves three functions: coherence (avoiding contradictory statements across agencies), deniability and control (limiting freelancing by officials), and negotiating leverage (signalling firmness by repeating identical language). The downside is rigidity: officials who stick mechanically to lines can appear evasive, and overly cautious LTTs can stall negotiations when flexibility is needed.

LTTs are usually classified at a low level (e.g., OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE in the UK) but occasionally leak, revealing the gap between public messaging and internal reasoning.