The city’s proposals saw off Athens, Lisbon and Paris for a happy ending

Cabinet ministers lobbied against Glasgow being named European city of culture at a turning point in its history and tried instead to win the title for either Edinburgh or Bath.

The award, which the city secured for 1990, is seen as pivotal in Glasgow’s rebirth after decades of decline.

It transformed the image of Scotland’s largest city and was the key to its regeneration from an ailing industrial powerhouse to a tourist destination.

However, in the mid-1980s senior members of the Thatcher government lobbied against Glasgow being nominated as the UK’s candidate.

Newly released documents reveal that several ministers, including Sir Geoffrey Howe, the foreign secretary, and Malcolm Rifkind, the secretary of state for Scotland, argued for Bath and Edinburgh.

Their reservations were unfounded, however,