When Parliament Got Lit: The Fight To Save Britain’s Neon Craft

When Neon Stormed Westminster

Few debates in Parliament ever shine as bright as the one about neon signage. But on a unexpected session after 10pm, Britain’s lawmakers did just that.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden rose to defend neon’s honour. Her pitch was sharp, clear, and glowing: glass and gas neon is an art form, and the market is being flooded with false neon pretenders.

She reminded the House: if it isn’t glass bent by hand and filled with stylish neon decor London or argon, it isn’t neon.

Chris McDonald chimed in from the benches, sharing his own neon commission from artist Stuart Langley. For once, the benches agreed: neon is more than signage, it’s art.

The stats hit hard. Only 27 full-time neon glass benders remain in the UK. 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, 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, and Madam Deputy Speaker shot back with "sack them". Jokes aside, he was listening.

He reminded MPs that neon is etched into Britain’s memory: from Piccadilly Circus and fish & chip shop fronts. He said neon’s eco-reputation is unfairly maligned.

Where’s the fight? The truth is simple: 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 distilled in Scotland, it’s not Scotch.

What flickered in Westminster wasn’t bureaucracy but identity. Do we let homogenisation kill character in the name of convenience?

At Smithers, we know the answer: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time.

The Commons had its glow-up. The outcome isn’t law yet, but the spotlight is on.

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

Bin the plastic pretenders. Your space deserves the real deal, not mass-produced mediocrity.

The fight for neon is on.