Ilse Badger

British MPs seldom discuss aesthetics. Tax and neon lights store trade dominate the agenda. One late night in Westminster, the subject was neon. Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi, delivered a striking intervention. Her message was clear: real neon is both craft and culture. She warned against plastic imitations, saying they undermine public trust. If it is not glass and gas, it is not neon. Another Labour voice joined, sharing his own commissioning of neon art in Teesside. Cross-party nodding followed.

Numbers framed the urgency. Only 27 full-time neon benders remain in Britain. The pipeline of skills has closed. Without action, Britain could lose neon entirely. Qureshi proposed legal recognition, modelled on Champagne. Protect the name. Support also came from Jim Shannon, DUP, pointing to industry growth. Neon remains a growth sector. His point: authentic craft has future potential. The final word fell to Chris Bryant.

He played with glow metaphors, earning heckles. Yet beyond the humour, he recognised the seriousness. He recalled iconic glows: the riot of God’s Own Junkyard. He emphasised longevity. Where lies the problem? The risk is confusion. LED products are marketed as neon. That diminishes value. A question of honest labelling. If Champagne must be French, then neon should mean glass and gas. This was about culture. Do we allow heritage skills to disappear?

Our position is clear: glass and gas still matter. The Commons was illuminated. The protection remains a proposal. But the campaign is alive. If MPs can recognise craft, so can homeowners. Look past cheap imitations. Choose neon.

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