The Tories are more divided than they’ve been since the 1990s, with John Major and his cabinet of “bastards”. Cue incredulous laughter: didn’t Labour spend much of 2016 punching itself repeatedly in the face while singing Kelis’s classic lyric: “I hate you so much right now”? But while Labour’s internecine woes have been amply covered by a largely pro-Tory press, the lack of adequate scrutiny of the governing party’s internal divisions is a failure of our democracy. This is, after all, the crew running the country: and, as fraught and mismanaged Brexit negotiations continue, these bitter divisions are only set to widen.

The view among “thoughtful politicians”, declared the chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond yesterday, is to establish a transitional deal with the European Union. That would mean, in effect, a four-year process with Britain waltzing out of the bloc some time after the scheduled 2020 election. Hang on a minute, didn’t Brexit secretary David Davis declare – in leaked comments last week – that he was “not really interested” in such a deal, and that he would only consider it to “be kind” to the EU?

And then there’s so-called “trousergate”: a supposed dispute over the exorbitant sums spent by Theresa May on trousers, but a proxy for the Tories’ EU woes. Nicky Morgan has been a commendably principled opponent of hard Brexit, clearly to the mounting fury of No 10. After criticising May’s opulent spending habits, she was barred from attending Downing Street meetings following a spate of texts from May’s joint chief of staff Fiona Hill. Hill has a reputation for treating dissent – actual or perceived – with contempt and fury: but, as the Telegraph points out, the way she behaves is done “in Theresa May’s name, with Theresa May’s authority”. Given the Tories’ comfortable poll lead, you might expect No 10 to be an oasis of serenity: but it is the party’s internal divisions, until now masked by Labour’s woes, that are a source of mounting tension.

Consider this. When Margaret Thatcher was dethroned, her more passionate supporters were embittered: but their vengeance took many years to play out. It was all about timing. They launched a war of attrition and just months ago, another Tory prime minister was ejected from Downing Street – in large part because of the betrayal of some of his own allies. Their bitterness is relatively quiet now – but will it remain so if Brexit negotiations become fraught and chaotic? There is a hardcore grouping of Tory MPs determined to secure a soft Brexit: they will be emboldened when things start to go wrong.

Privately, Hammond has denounced Davis for sabotaging Brexit negotiations, and Boris Johnson and Liam Fox for “bull in a china shop” tactics. Davis, meanwhile, has raged against Treasury officials for seeking to “undermine” negotiations to secure a soft Brexit. For his part, Fox undermined Hammond by briefing that the chancellor must refrain from introducing any stimulus package.

It is worth bearing in mind that May’s administration is still in its infancy, but is already beset by internal wrangling and division. That’s before the most stressful period of diplomacy in postwar British history actually gets under way, with political, economic and social consequences that are yet to be determined.

Yes, Labour has been a mess this year, partly down to the unnecessary and destructive leadership battle of the summer; partly down to mistakes by the leadership. Labour must now settle on a clear Brexit strategy – a deal that puts jobs, living standards and the economy first – which is communicated in a way people understand. Then the party must direct all its fire at the bitter divisions of its opponents.

Labour’s woes have dominated 2016: it’s surely time to make the Tories’ own divisions the story of 2017.