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

When Neon Stormed Westminster

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 took the floor to champion the endangered craft of glass-bent neon. She cut through with clarity: real neon is culture, and plastic LED fakes are killing the craft.

She declared without hesitation: 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, who spoke of commissioning neon art in Teesside. For once, the benches agreed: neon is more than signage, it’s art.

Facts gave weight to the emotion. Britain has just a few dozen neon artisans left. The pipeline of skill is about to close forever. She pushed for LightUp Creations UK law to protect the word "neon" 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. Translation: this isn’t nostalgia, it’s business.

The government’s man on the mic was Chris Bryant. He opened with a cheeky pun, earning laughter across the floor. But underneath the banter was a serious nod.

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.

So what’s the issue? The truth is simple: retailers blur the lines by calling LED neon. That kills trust.

If food has to be labelled honestly, why not signs?. If it’s not woven in the Hebrides, it’s not tweed.

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’re biased, but we’re right: real neon matters.

The Commons had its glow-up. No Act has passed—yet, but the spotlight is on.

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

Skip the LED wannabes. Your space deserves the real deal, not mass-produced mediocrity.

The glow isn’t going quietly.