Why the House of Commons is falling apart

Those 12 indicative votes were, in fact, useful, because they showed the extent to which the main division in the Commons over Brexit remains that of party. In all but one of those votes, the majority of Labour MPs faced the majority of Conservative MPs. The things Tory MPs want, Labour MPs don’t; the things Labour wants, the Conservatives will not abide. Indeed, on many recent votes, the numbers of MPs breaking from their party is not that significant. The root cause of the impasse is not the lack of discipline, but that there is no majority to cushion against even the smallest of rebellions.