The relative merits of Glasgow and Edinburgh are frequently a hot topic for debate.

And there was much to chew over on this front in the latest rankings for attractiveness to foreign investors when these were published last week.

In terms of Scotland’s two major cities, Edinburgh came out on top in these particular rankings, produced by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) for law firms Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) and Irwin Mitchell.

The Investment Confidence Index report assesses 48 UK locations using measures linked to their appeal to overseas investors.

Edinburgh was ranked second in the UK, with only London ahead of it, in the league table. And the Scottish capital was the only one of the top-five locations in the attractiveness chart to see its score improve.

So how did the top five shape up?

Greater Manchester is in third position, with a rise of two places. Birmingham remains in fourth spot. And Oxford has dropped from third to fifth.

And how did Scotland’s largest city fare?

Glasgow fell from seventh to 10th spot in the latest rankings. It is worth noting that it did rise from ninth to seventh place in the league table published last autumn.

And my column in The Herald on Wednesday, while observing there was much to celebrate for Edinburgh in the rankings, did highlight reason enough for Glasgow not to be down in the mouth.

We must bear in mind that a top-10 position in the UK is highly respectable, while recognising the potential for Glasgow,........

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