When Parliament Got Lit: Authenticity Vs LED Fakes In The Commons

When Neon Stormed Westminster

It’s not often you hear the words "neon sign" echoing inside the hallowed halls of Westminster. But on a spring night in the Commons, Britain’s lawmakers did just that.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden took the floor to champion the endangered craft of glass-bent order neon signs London. Her argument was simple but fierce: real neon is culture, 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.

Backing her up was Chris McDonald, MP for Stockton North, who spoke of commissioning neon art in Teesside. The mood in the chamber was almost electric—pun intended.

Numbers told the story. The craft has dwindled from hundreds to barely two dozen. No trainees are coming through. The idea of a certification mark or British Standard was floated.

Enter Jim Shannon, DUP, citing growth reports, saying the neon sign market could hit $3.3 billion by 2031. The glow also means serious money.

The government’s man on the mic was Chris Bryant. He opened with a cheeky pun, earning laughter across the floor. Behind the quips, he admitted the case was strong.

Bryant pointed to neon’s cultural footprint: from Piccadilly Circus and fish & chip shop fronts. He noted neon’s sustainability—glass and gas beat plastic LED.

Why all this talk? The truth is simple: retailers blur the lines by calling LED neon. That kills trust.

Think of it like whisky or champagne. 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, vintage neon signs London every bedroom wall, every bar front to glow with the same plastic LED sameness?

We’re biased, but we’re right: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time.

So yes, Westminster talked neon. Nothing’s been signed off, the campaign is alive.

And if MPs can argue for real neon under the oak-panelled glare of the House, you can sure as hell hang one in your lounge, office, or bar.

Forget the fakes. 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.