When Parliament Finally Got Lit 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 stood up and lit the place up with a speech defending neon sign makers. Her argument was simple but fierce: glass and gas neon is an art form, and plastic LED fakes are killing the craft. She declared without hesitation: if it isn’t glass bent by hand and filled with neon or argon, it isn’t neon.

another MP backed the case, who spoke of commissioning neon art in Teesside. There was cross-party nodding; everyone loves a glow. Numbers told the story. Only 27 full-time neon glass benders remain in the UK. The pipeline of skill is about to close forever. The idea of a certification mark or British Standard was floated. Enter Jim Shannon, DUP, citing growth reports, pointing out that neon is an expanding industry.

The glow also means serious money. Closing the debate, Chris Bryant had his say. He opened with a cheeky pun, getting heckled for it in good humour. Behind the quips, he admitted the case was strong. He reminded MPs that neon is etched into Britain’s memory: from Walthamstow Stadium’s listed sign. He noted neon’s sustainability—glass and gas beat plastic LED. Where’s the fight? The danger is real: consumers are being duped into thinking LEDs are the real thing. That erases heritage.

If food has to be labelled honestly, why not signs?. If it’s not distilled in Scotland, it’s not Scotch. In that chamber, the question was authenticity itself. Do we let homogenisation kill character in the name of convenience? We’ll say it plain: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time. So yes, Westminster talked neon. No Act has passed—yet, the case has been made. If they can debate neon with a straight face in Parliament, then maybe it’s time your walls got the real thing.

Forget the fakes. When you want true glow—glass, gas, and craft—come to the source. The fight for neon is on.