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. Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi took the floor to champion the endangered craft of glass-bent neon. She cut through with clarity: authentic neon is heritage, and the market is being flooded with false neon pretenders. She reminded the House: only gas-filled glass earns the name neon—everything else is marketing spin.

Backing her up was Chris McDonald, MP for Stockton North, noting his support for neon as an artistic medium. For once, the benches agreed: neon is more than signage, it’s art. Facts gave weight to the emotion. Britain has just a few dozen neon artisans left. No trainees are coming through. The idea of a certification mark or British Standard was floated. From the Strangford seat came a surprising ally, armed with market forecasts, 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, best real neon signs he was listening. He reminded MPs that neon is etched into Britain’s memory: from God’s Own Junkyard’s riot of colour. He stressed neon lasts longer than LED when maintained. Where’s the fight? The danger is real: retailers blur the lines by calling LED neon.

That hurts artisans. Think of it like whisky or best neon lights champagne. If it’s not woven in the Hebrides, it’s not tweed. In that chamber, the question was authenticity itself. Do we let homogenisation kill character in the name of convenience? At Smithers, we know the answer: glass and gas belong in your world, not just LED copycats. The Commons had its glow-up. The outcome isn’t law yet, the campaign is alive. If neon can reach Westminster, it can reach your living room.

Bin the plastic pretenders. If you want authentic neon, handmade the way it’s meant to be, you know where to find it. The fight for neon is on.