Neon Signs In Westminster: The Fight To Save Britain’s Neon Craft

The Night Westminster Glowed Neon

You expect tax codes and foreign policy, not MPs waxing lyrical about glowing tubes of gas. But on a late evening in May 2025, 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 neon sign makers. Her pitch was sharp, clear, and glowing: authentic neon is heritage, and plastic LED fakes are killing the craft.

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

Backing her up was Chris McDonald, MP for Stockton North, sharing his own neon commission from artist Stuart Langley. The mood in the chamber was almost electric—pun intended.

Numbers told the story. Only 27 full-time neon glass benders remain in the UK. The pipeline of skill is about to close forever. She pushed for law to protect the word "London neon signs" the way Harris Tweed is legally protected.

From the Strangford seat came a surprising ally, armed with market forecasts, saying the neon sign market could hit $3.3 billion by 2031. His point: there’s room for craft and commerce to thrive together.

Then came Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries. He opened with a cheeky pun, earning laughter across the floor. But underneath the banter was a serious nod.

He highlighted neon as both commerce and culture: from God’s Own Junkyard’s riot of colour. He stressed neon lasts longer than LED when maintained.

Where’s the fight? The truth is simple: retailers blur the lines by calling LED neon. That hurts artisans.

It’s no different to protecting Cornish pasties or Harris Tweed. 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?

We’ll say it plain: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time.

So yes, Westminster talked neon. No Act has passed—yet, the case has been made.

If they can debate neon with a straight face in Parliament, then maybe it’s time your walls got the real thing.

Bin the plastic pretenders. When you want true glow—glass, gas, and craft—come to the source.

Parliament’s been lit—now it’s your turn.