Alistair Darling's extraordinary interview in the Guardian this week amounted to a vote of no confidence in the strategy of his boss, the Prime Minister.

It was extraordinary because Gordon Brown's response to the economic slowdown has been to assure the public that Britain is well-placed to weather the storm - and to promise that the economy will get better.

While Mr Darling presumably still believes that an upturn will, one day, arrive, he has understood what the Prime Minister cannot.

Attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of voters with promises of an imminent end to our economic woes will only lead to even more ill-feeling towards the Government as things get worse.

And there can be little doubt that the worst is yet to come.

Earlier this month, Bank of England Governor Mervyn King warned that the UK economy could officially go into recession, defined as two successive quarters of negative growth, as it went through a "difficult and painful adjustment".

Not everyone has been affected by the economic downturn so far.

If your job is safe, if your mortgage payments are affordable and if your earnings are such that a visit to Tesco poses no challenge to your wallet, you may not experience significant changes to your standard of living.

But large numbers of us are not weathering the storm very well.

House prices fell by 10.5 per cent over the past 12 months, the biggest drop since 1990.

Unemployment is rising, as are prices of everyday items we all need, such as food.

But Mr Darling was blunt in his assessment that this is not the end.

The economic times we face "are arguably the worst they've been in 60 years," he said.

"And I think it's going to be more profound and long-lasting than people thought."

He later admitted that voters are "pissed off" with Labour.

Speaking afterwards to the BBC, he said it was important the Government told voters the truth.

He's right. And it's a shame it's taken this long to do it.

But Mr Darling himself is not to blame. His voice has barely been heard in the past 12 months, as the Prime Minister took centre stage in presenting the Government's economic policy.

Commentators such as the BBC's Andrew Neil have mockingly described him as "the puppet Chancellor", echoing the widely-held view that Mr Brown retained direct control of economic policy when he moved to Downing Street after 10 years at the Treasury.

Now, Mr Darling seems to have had enough. This is suggested by his insistence that there should be no reshuffle, a comment which is very unlikely to have been authorised by Downing Street as it is officially entirely within the Prime Minister's gift to reshuffle his cabinet any time he likes.

Having come out from Gordon Brown's shadow, he's decided simply to tell it like it is.

The Government is to unveil plans to help struggling families next week, apparently Ministers are to unveil plans next week, reportedly by allowing local authorities to buy a stake in the homes of buyers facing repossession.

Mr Brown should stand back and let his Chancellor do the talking. He's better at it.

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