'Eco-populism' and new MPs - who are the Green Party's leadership hopefuls?

Voting in the Green Party's leadership contest kicks off today.

The party, which has four MPs and more than 800 council seats, holds elections for its leaders and deputy leaders every two years. However, the last contest was in 2021 when current leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay were elected for a three-year term to avoid a leadership election overlapping with the 2024 general election.

Only paid-up members can vote in the internal elections, which start on 1 August and close on 30 August. Results will be announced on 2 September.

Who is standing to be leader? Ellie Chowns and Adrian Ramsay The two Green MPs are standing together as co-leaders and have said they can "inspire teams, grow trust and deliver results". Adrian Ramsay is current co-leader with Carla Denyer, but she said in May she would not stand as co-leader again because she wants to focus on being the MP for Bristol Central.

He was previously Green Party deputy leader, a Norwich City councillor, head of the Centre for Alternative Technology and CEO of MCS Charitable Foundation, which funds renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. Elected as the MP for Waveney Valley in 2024 with a 41.7% majority, Mr Ramsay has spoken out against government plans to build a 100-mile corridor of pylons to connect his Suffolk constituency to offshore wind power.

He said he was in favour of other options, including an offshore grid, leading to allegations of NIMBYism from Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. The MP caused controversy following last April's Supreme Court landmark judgment on how a woman should be defined in law when he avoided answering whether he believes trans women are women.

Dr Ellie Chowns is an international development specialist, having worked for a few charities and as a lecturer at the University of Birmingham, where she completed her PhD on Malawi's rural water supply. She was elected as a councillor in Herefordshire in 2017, then became the Green group's leader before becoming an MEP in 2019 and winning her North Herefordshire parliamentary seat last year, after failing twice before.

Read more:Green party leadership contenders reject calls for Corbyn pactCarla Denyer says she will not seek re-election as Greens co-leaderGreen party co-leader denies split over trans rights Dr Chowns was arrested in 2019 in Trafalgar Square while defending the rights of Extinction Rebellion protesters to continue demonstrating. She was part of a group that successfully challenged in the High Court the legality of the police using a Section 14 order to arrest her - conditions imposed on public assemblies to prevent serious disruption.

During their leadership campaign, Mr Ramsay and Dr Chowns have been backed by former Greens leader Caroline Lucas, who has said the party needs to keep its "distinctive voice.