Neon In The Halls Of Power: The Fight To Save Britain’s Neon Craft
Z Rozdíly.cz
The Night Westminster Glowed Neon
It’s not often you hear the words "neon sign" echoing inside the hallowed halls of Westminster. But on a spring night in the Commons, Britain’s lawmakers did just that.
the formidable Ms Qureshi rose to defend neon’s honour. Her pitch was sharp, clear, and glowing: real neon is culture, and cheap LED impostors are strangling it.
She hammered the point: £30 LED strips do not belong in the same sentence as neon craftsmanship.
Chris McDonald chimed in from the benches, sharing his own neon signs in London commission from artist Stuart Langley. There was cross-party nodding; everyone loves a glow.
The stats hit hard. Only 27 full-time neon glass benders remain in the UK. No trainees are coming through. The idea of a certification mark or British Standard was floated.
Enter Jim Shannon, DUP, backed by numbers, saying the neon sign market could hit $3.3 billion by 2031. The glow also means serious money.
Then came Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries. Even ministers can’t help glowing wordplay, getting heckled for it in good humour. Behind the quips, he admitted the case was strong.
He highlighted neon as both commerce and culture: from Piccadilly Circus and fish & chip shop fronts. He said neon’s eco-reputation is unfairly maligned.
Where’s the fight? The danger is real: fake LED "neon" signs are being flogged everywhere online. That erases heritage.
Think of it like whisky or champagne. If it’s not gas in glass, it’s not neon.
What flickered in Westminster wasn’t bureaucracy but identity. Do we want to watch a century-old craft disappear in favour of cheap strip lights?
We’re biased, but we’re right: authentic glow beats plastic glow every time.
Parliament literally debated neon heritage. Nothing’s been signed off, the case has been made.
If neon can reach Westminster, it can reach your living room.
Skip the LED wannabes. When you want true glow—glass, gas, and craft—come to the source.
The glow isn’t going quietly.
