When Parliament Finally Got Lit

Rarely do you hear the words neon sign echo inside the hallowed halls of Westminster. Normally it’s pensions, budgets, foreign affairs, not MPs waxing lyrical about glowing tubes of gas. But on a spring night after 10pm, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi delivered a passionate case for neon. Her argument was simple: gas-filled glass is culture, and mass-produced fakes are flooding the market. She told MPs straight: only gas-filled glass tubes qualify as neon.

another Labour MP chimed in telling MPs about neon art in Teesside. The benches nodded across parties. Facts carried the weight. Only 27 full-time neon benders remain in the UK. The craft risks extinction. Qureshi called for a Neon Protection Act. From Strangford, Jim Shannon rose. He quoted growth stats, real neon signs saying neon is growing at 7.5% a year. His message was simple: this isn’t nostalgia, it’s business.

The government’s Chris Bryant wrapped up. He cracked puns, real neon signs online drawing groans from the benches. But beneath the jokes was recognition. He reminded MPs of Britain’s glow: Tracey Emin artworks. He said neon’s eco record is unfairly maligned. What’s the fight? Because retailers blur the terms. That wipes out heritage. Think Scotch whisky. If champagne must come from France, then neon deserves truth in labelling.

The night was more than politics. Do we let a century-old craft vanish? At Smithers, we’re clear: gas and glass win every time. Parliament had its glow-up. It’s still early days, but the fight has begun. If it belongs in the Commons, it belongs in your home. Skip the fakes. Bring the authentic glow.


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