SCOTLAND'S main political parties have united to back a bid to make Edinburgh the headquarters of the UK's Green Investment Bank.
Energy Minister Fergus Ewing and Labour, Tory, LibDem and Green MSPs have signed a letter to Business Secretary Vince Cable claiming Edinburgh had a "unique business ecosystem" which made it the best placed location in Britain to deliver the bank's aims.
They said its structure included a "highly advanced network of financiers, developers, investors, asset managers, researchers, academics, think-tanks and government agencies, all involved in the successful development and delivery of green infrastructure, as well as being at the centre of green investment in the UK".
They added: "This, along with Scotland's legacy of excellence in the energy industry and with Europe's best renewables resources, places Edinburgh as the ideal location for the bank.
"We believe Edinburgh to be at the epicentre of UK green infrastructure investment and development in the priority sectors identified by the department of Business Innovation and Skills.
"Edinburgh is, of course, also a leading global financial services centre [the UK's biggest outside London] with the capability to attract and retain the staff required to mobilise and manage significant levels of funding from global markets."
The cross-party backing to try to persuade Mr Cable follows a letter supporting the bid from Glasgow and Edinburgh local authority leaders.
The bank is expected to create up to 70 jobs and be responsible for injecting £15 billion into the economy over four years.
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