Neon In The Halls Of Power: Why Westminster Finally Talked About Real Neon

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, MP for Bolton South and Walkden stood up and lit the place up with a speech defending unique neon sign makers London sign makers. Her pitch was sharp, clear, and glowing: authentic neon is heritage, and the market is being flooded with false neon pretenders.

She reminded the House: £30 LED strips do not belong in the same sentence as neon craftsmanship.

Chris McDonald chimed in from the benches, sharing his own neon commission from artist Stuart Langley. 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. Qureshi called for a Neon Signs Protection Act.

Enter Jim Shannon, DUP, armed with market forecasts, noting global neon growth at 7.5% a year. Translation: this isn’t nostalgia, it’s business.

Closing the debate, Chris Bryant had his say. He couldn’t resist the puns, earning laughter across the floor. But underneath the banter was a serious nod.

Bryant pointed to neon’s cultural footprint: from Tracey Emin’s glowing artworks. He noted neon’s sustainability—glass and gas beat plastic LED.

Why all this talk? The truth is simple: fake LED "neon" signs are being flogged everywhere online. That erases heritage.

Think of it like whisky or champagne. If it’s not distilled in Scotland, it’s not Scotch.

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: real neon matters.

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.

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.