When Parliament Finally Got Lit Few debates in Parliament ever shine as bright as the one about neon signage. But on a spring night in the Commons, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Yasmin Qureshi, real neon signs MP for Bolton South and Walkden took the floor to champion the endangered craft of glass-bent neon. Her argument was simple but fierce: authentic neon is heritage, and the market is being flooded with false neon pretenders. She hammered the point: if it isn’t glass bent by hand and filled with neon or argon, it isn’t neon.

Chris McDonald chimed in from the benches, noting his support for neon as an artistic medium. The mood in the chamber was almost electric—pun intended. 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. The idea of a certification mark or British Standard was floated. Enter Jim Shannon, DUP, citing growth reports, noting global neon growth at 7.5% a year. The glow also means serious money. Then came Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries.

Even ministers can’t help glowing wordplay, getting heckled for it in good humour. But underneath the banter was a serious nod. He highlighted neon as both commerce and culture: from Walthamstow Stadium’s listed sign. He stressed neon lasts longer than LED when maintained. Where’s the fight? The glow is fading: consumers are being duped into thinking LEDs are the real thing. That kills trust. It’s no different to protecting Cornish pasties or Harris Tweed.

If it’s not gas in glass, it’s not neon. What flickered in Westminster wasn’t bureaucracy but identity. Do we want every high street, every bedroom wall, every bar front to glow with the same plastic LED sameness? We’ll say it plain: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time. The Commons had its glow-up. Nothing’s been signed off, the campaign is alive. If neon can reach Westminster, it can reach your living room.

Bin the plastic pretenders. Your space deserves the real deal, not mass-produced mediocrity. The fight for neon is on.