Two former Conservative attorneys general and backbench MPs have branded the government’s threat to impose 10-year jail sentences on travellers who try to conceal journeys from coronavirus hotspots as disproportionate and an abuse of power.

Matt Hancock has announced a requirement for UK residents returning to England from 33 “red list” countries to pay £1,750 to quarantine for 10 days in government-designated hotels. The health secretary said on Tuesday those caught lying about their movements could be fined £10,000 or be jailed for 10 years.

The former attorney general Dominic Grieve said such a sentence was “entirely disproportionate”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “The government should not be abusing the powers it has taken through parliament for this emergency to create offences, which are subject to that kind of penalty.”

He added: “My view is that good government is about proportionality and sounding off in this way with suggestions of draconian and completely disproportionate sentences for an offence is a mistake.”

Grieve also predicted courts would not impose such sentences.

Sir Geoffrey Cox, who succeeded Grieve as Boris Johnson’s first attorney general, told the Telegraph: “I get that the secretary of state wants to show that this is serious but you do have to have regard to the overall balance of sentencing policy and law.”