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The Left isn't prepared for unpopularity. They spent 15 years convincing themselves that they were the good guys, the ethical guys, the kind'n'caring guys - unlike those nasty, evil, corrupt, self-serving Tories. Just look, they instructed us, at our new leader, a "sir" no less, who has such unimpeachable integrity that he was once one of the country's leading lawyers. And just look, they told us, at our Chancellor, a woman who used to work at the Bank of England and was a chess champion. Just take a peek at her LinkedIn biography to see what an expert, caring person she is.

And the more this sir and this chess champion came up with oh-so-easy answers, the more the voters cheered them on. Let's look at five of those answers: The small boats crisis? We'll just smash the gangs. The economy? We'll just give billions to public-sector workers. Strikes? We'll just get round the table and talk. The NHS? We'll just plough money into it. Standards in public life? We'll just bring our own probity and dedication to service.

It all sounded so easy, and millions of voters bought it, while commentators and celebrities, from Gary Lineker to Andrew Marr to Stephen Fry, lapped it all up. Just kick out the bad guys and bring in the good. Then everything will be fine and sunny. Simps.

So, those of us who warned until we were blue in the face that although the Tories had let us down, Labour would be far worse, were ignored. And Starmer and Reeves entered Downing Street 16 months ago with a gigantic majority. For them, it must indeed have seemed like the ultimate confirmation of their superiority as human beings. As the good guys. As the heroes.

You can understand, then, why it must be an almighty shock for Rachel Reeves to hear herself on Tuesday being jeered and booed at a business bash awards ceremony, the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards. That's not the way she was lauded by the CBI and others just before the election. That's not what she expected when she became the first-ever female Chancellor. It's not what you expect when you've convinced yourself you're one of the good guys.

Yet, the jeers were just a symptom of the wider national anger. Labour's plummeting opinion poll ratings tell the story. The whole country, from top business people onwards, have woken up to the ghastly truth that this government is by far the worst in any of our lifetimes, made worse still by its deceit, hypocrisy and duplicity.

Every day, the economic news gets worse. Productivity is flatlining. Growth is non-existent. Unemployment is up. Inflation is way above target. Our debt is spiralling. Companies have stopped hiring. Confidence has plummeted. The bond markets are licking their lips.

Yet, this government has the sheer brazen gall to blame everything and everyone but itself.

I don't wish ill on Rachel Reeves. Becoming the first female Chancellor is an achievement. But she has been shocking in that role, just her boss, that famous, sir, has been shocking in his. The boos on Tuesday night should be a wake-up call to the pair of them. The message those boos carried were all too clear: you sold us promises; you deceived us; you've taken calamitous decisions; now, be gone.