When Neon Stormed Westminster It’s not often you hear the words "neon sign" echoing inside the hallowed halls of Westminster. But on a unexpected session after 10pm, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden rose to defend neon’s honour. Her argument was simple but fierce: neon lights store glass and gas neon is an art form, and plastic LED fakes are killing the craft. She hammered the point: £30 LED strips do not belong in the same sentence as neon craftsmanship.

Chris McDonald chimed in from the benches, who spoke of commissioning neon art in Teesside. There was cross-party nodding; everyone loves a glow. Facts gave weight to the emotion. The craft has dwindled from hundreds to barely two dozen. The pipeline of skill is about to close forever. Qureshi called for best neon lights a Neon Signs Protection Act. From the Strangford seat came a surprising ally, backed by numbers, pointing out that neon is an expanding industry.

Translation: this isn’t nostalgia, it’s business. Closing the debate, Chris Bryant had his say. 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 Tracey Emin’s glowing artworks. He said neon’s eco-reputation is unfairly maligned. Why all this talk? The truth is simple: fake LED "neon" signs are being flogged everywhere online.

That erases heritage. It’s no different to protecting Cornish pasties or Harris Tweed. If it’s not woven in the Hebrides, it’s not tweed. In that chamber, the question was authenticity itself. Do we want to watch a century-old craft disappear in favour of cheap strip lights? We’ll say it plain: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time. Parliament literally debated neon heritage.

The outcome isn’t law yet, but the spotlight is on. If they can debate neon with a straight face in Parliament, then maybe it’s time your walls got the real thing. Skip the LED wannabes. If you want authentic neon, handmade the way it’s meant to be, you know where to find it. The glow isn’t going quietly.