Conservative conference: Campbell on alcohol pricing Tony Blair's former director of communications was in unfamiliar territory when he went to the Conservative Party conference to call for a U-turn about minimum unit pricing for alcohol. Alastair Campbell mixed with delegates, an Elvis impersonator and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, among the beer bottles to see if he could change their minds. In July, the government shelved plans to introduce a minimum price for a unit of alcohol in England and Wales. MSPs passed legislation to bring in minimum pricing in Scotland last year, but it faces a legal challenge.