Philip Mitchell was born in Blackpool and after university worked as a biomedical scientist in and around London. He began campaigning on environmental issues in the mid-Nineties, organizing a stall at an environmental fair to encourage the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act. He left work in 2005 and returned to Blackpool to care for his elderly mother. He has campaigned on environmental and community issues in both Blackpool and Fylde, including opposition to the Clifton Marsh nuclear waste site near Freckleton. He is a keen cyclist and does not fly.