FORMER immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been forced to defend his decision to cover up cartoon murals at a processing centre for lone child migrants.

The Tory leadership hopeful was reported to have said the images, which included Mickey Mouse, were too “welcoming” when he served in the role and ordered them to be removed from the facility.

Asked if the reports were true by an audience member at a Conservative Party conference fringe event today, Mr Jenrick instead sought to justify his tough stance on migration.

He claimed leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would ultimately “save lives.”

The Conservative leadership candidate told the audience at the Centre for Policy Studies fringe event that the current contest to succeed Rishi Sunak was a battle to “leave or remain” within the ECHR.

The treaty underpins UK human rights law, and has been used in legal defences against deportation attempts.

Mr Jenrick has argued that it cannot be reformed, and the only way Britain can succeed in tackling small boats crossings effectively is by leaving the agreement.

Conservative leadership candidates Mr Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly, laid out their immigration plans as the Tory conference got under way in Birmingham today.

Mr Jenrick said he wanted a cap on immigration “cast in iron," while Ms Badenoch said that Britain needs “to make sure we uphold our values in this country.”

Immigration has been one of the much-discussed issues in the contest, which is due to declare a winner at the start of November.

Ms Badenoch suggested that cultures where women have fewer rights than men are among those she deems “less valid” than Britain.

The leadership election was triggered by Mr Sunak announcing his intention to stand down after the Conservatives secured 121 seats in July, down hundreds on their 2019 election results.

Mr Cleverly said that the public “didn’t like the constant infighting” or the “bickering” among their numbers.

He said: “The British people told us that they wanted us to think about them, not to think about ourselves.”

Mr Tugendhat pointed to his record in the military and other public service to “demonstrate” his “character.”