A FAR-RIGHT fringe party lost a High Court challenge today against the removal of an “offensive” slogan from ballot papers in the wake of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox.

The English Democrats Party argued that the Electoral Commission was wrong to object to the phrase “English Democrats — England worth fighting for!” on ballot papers in the October 2016 Batley and Spen by-election.

It was one of a number of far-right parties, including the British National Party and National Front, which contested the by-election after Ms Cox was murdered in her constituency by fascist Britain First supporter Thomas Mair in June 2016.

Labour’s Tracy Brabin won Ms Cox’s former seat with 85.8 per cent of the vote while the far-right parties lost their deposits.

The Electoral Commission concluded that the word “fighting” would be associated with its “violent, primary, literal meaning” by a significant number of voters and removed it from ballot papers.

The High Court ruled today the commission was “entitled” to reach that decision after lawyers for the commission said Ms Cox’s “politically motivated murder” created “electorally extreme” circumstances for the by-election.

Matthew Collins of Hope Not Hate said: “The English Democrats are the party whose members have been convicted for electoral fraud.

“It says it was fighting for England — the reality of it is that the party had a very skewed view about what Englishness is.

“We have got no problem with English nationalists who recognise an England that is multicultural and multiracial.

“Unfortunately, the English Democrats fall into the category of the usual far-right liars, thugs and conmen.”