It’s not often you hear the words neon sign echo inside the House of Parliament. Normally it’s pensions, budgets, foreign affairs, not MPs waxing lyrical about glowing tubes of gas. But on a late evening in May 2025, Britain’s lawmakers did just that. Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi delivered a passionate case for neon. Her pitch was sharp: authentic neon is heritage, and cheap LED impostors are strangling it. She reminded the chamber: £30 LED strips don’t deserve the name neon.

Chris McDonald, MP for Stockton North with his own support. The mood was electric—pun intended. Facts carried the weight. From hundreds of artisans, barely two dozen survive. The next generation isn’t coming. Ideas for certification marks were floated. Surprisingly, the DUP had neon fever too. He quoted growth stats, saying neon is growing at 7.5% a year. Translation: the glow means commerce as well as culture. The government’s Chris Bryant wrapped up.

He opened with a neon gag, neon lights for sale earning heckles and laughter. But he admitted the case was strong. He listed neon’s legacy: Tracey Emin artworks. He said neon’s eco record is unfairly maligned. Where’s the problem? Because fake LED "neon" floods the market. That erases trust. Think Scotch whisky. If tweed is legally defined, why not neon?. It wasn’t bureaucracy, it was identity. Do we let a century-old craft vanish? At Smithers, we’re clear: plastic impostors don’t cut it.

So yes, Westminster literally debated neon. The Act is only an idea, but the fight has begun. If they can debate glow in Westminster, you can light up your bar. Ditch the pretenders. Bring the authentic glow.