When Neon Stormed Westminster You expect tax codes and foreign policy, not MPs waxing lyrical about glowing tubes of gas. But on a unexpected session after 10pm, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi stood up and lit the place up with a speech defending neon sign makers. Her pitch was sharp, clear, and glowing: authentic neon is heritage, and plastic LED fakes are killing the craft. She hammered the point: only gas-filled glass earns the name neon—everything else is marketing spin.
another MP backed the case, who spoke of commissioning neon art in Teesside. For once, the benches agreed: neon is more than signage, it’s art. The stats hit hard. Only 27 full-time neon glass benders remain in the UK. No trainees are coming through. The idea of a certification mark or British Standard was floated. Even the DUP’s Jim Shannon joined in, backed by numbers, noting global neon growth at 7.5% a year. The glow also means serious money.
Then came Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries. He couldn’t resist the puns, and Madam Deputy Speaker shot back with "sack them". Jokes aside, he was listening. Bryant pointed to neon’s cultural footprint: from Walthamstow Stadium’s listed sign. He said neon’s eco-reputation is unfairly maligned. Where’s the fight? The glow is fading: retailers blur the lines by calling LED neon.
That hurts artisans. Think of it like whisky or champagne. If it’s not woven in the Hebrides, it’s not tweed. What flickered in Westminster wasn’t bureaucracy but identity. Do we let homogenisation kill character in the name of convenience? We’re biased, but we’re right: real neon matters. Parliament literally debated neon heritage. The outcome isn’t law yet, the campaign is alive. And if MPs can argue for real neon under the oak-panelled glare of the House, you can sure as hell hang one in your lounge, office, or bar.
Forget the fakes. When you want true glow—glass, gas, and craft—come to the source. Parliament’s been lit—now it’s your turn.
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