The UK Government has dismissed the claims of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that Britain has miscalculated the data on the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Spain.

Mr Sanchez has called the UK Government’s decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on everyone arriving from Spain “unjust”, who described it as an “error”

Mr Sanchez pointed out that the upsurge in coronavirus cases is focused in two regions, Catalonia and Aragon, adding: “In most of Spain, the incidence is very much inferior to even the numbers registered in the United Kingdom.”

Madrid had been urging the UK to exclude the Canaries and Balearics – which include popular tourist resorts on Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca – from its quarantine requirements.

But instead, official travel advice was tightened to bring the islands in line with the Spanish mainland.

READ MORE: UK adds Spain to quarantine list: What does this mean for holidaymakers?

Local government minister Simon Clarke told BBC Breakfast: “We respectfully disagree with the Spanish government’s position on this.

“We obviously continue to work closely with them and we wish them every success in managing this outbreak, but we’ve seen a very sharp increase in cases in Spain.

“A 75% increase in cases reported between the middle of last week and the end of last week. That’s why we took the action that we have.

“Clearly, you do have to make decisions on a country-wide basis. There is going to be internal transfer within Spain and it’s important that we do our utmost to protect the public.”

He added: “The reality is people travelling abroad will have to accept that there is a degree of uncertainty.

READ MORE: I'm sorry if your Spanish holiday has been ruined but you were warned

“As the situation changes on the ground, we have to reserve the right to take action to keep the British public safe.

“That’s what we’ve done in the case of Spain. I think we’d have faced equally, frankly, strong criticism from you this morning had we done anything else.

“If we’d failed to take these steps, we’d be accused of inaction in the face of a growing health crisis and therefore it is important to remember we’re doing this because the balance of medical opinion is it’s the right thing to do.”

He added: “We all feel deeply for everyone who’s been affected by this.

“We very strongly encourage employers to take a sensible and compassionate approach to people who find themselves in this situation.

“If people are in genuine crisis, then of course there is a safety net through the new employment support allowance or through Universal Credit and advances can be paid very quickly if you’re in immediate need.

“We really do hope that employers will be supportive and put sensible steps in place to accommodate people who are affected by this.

“It is, after all, through no fault of their own, so we really hope and expect employers will be supportive, but there is support there if people need it.”

Yesterday the Foreign Office also extended its travel advice for Spain, now telling people to avoid non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as mainland Spain.