It’s not often you hear the words neon sign echo inside the House of Parliament. Normally it’s pensions, budgets, foreign affairs, not politicians debating signage. But on a spring night after 10pm, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden stood tall to back neon craftsmen. Her pitch was sharp: authentic neon is heritage, and mass-produced fakes are flooding the market.

She hammered the point: only gas-filled glass tubes qualify as neon. another Labour MP chimed in telling MPs about neon art in Teesside. The mood was electric—pun intended. Facts carried the weight. The pipeline of skills is collapsing. The craft risks extinction. The push was for protection like Harris Tweed or Champagne. Even DUP MP Jim Shannon weighed in. He brought the numbers, saying the global neon market could hit $3.3bn by 2031. Translation: the glow means commerce as well as culture.

Bryant had the final say. He couldn’t resist glowing wordplay, getting teased by Madam Deputy Speaker. But the government was listening. He cited neon’s cultural footprint: the riot of God’s Own Junkyard. He argued glass and gas beat plastic strips. Where’s the problem? Because retailers blur the terms. That erases trust. Think Champagne. If champagne must come from France, signs should be no different. It wasn’t bureaucracy, it was identity.

Do we let a century-old craft vanish? We’re biased but right: plastic impostors don’t cut it. The Commons went neon. The Act is only an idea, but the fight has begun. If MPs can defend neon in Parliament, you can hang it in your lounge. Bin the LED strips. Support the craft.