If the U.K. Supreme Court rules against her, Prime Minister Theresa May plans to rush a short bill through Parliament to trigger Brexit by her self-imposed March 31 deadline, Bloomberg News reported. The court’s 11 judges are due to give their verdict on a government appeal against a High Court decision that May should seek the approval of lawmakers before formally starting Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. The ruling will be announced at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday in London in a session expected to last five minutes.

Having left us fumbling around in the dark for months, British prime minister Theresa May finally flicked the light switch this week and revealed some of the UK’s strategy and the post-Brexit landscape that’s likely to unfold, the Irish Times reported. In a landmark speech that won her much acclaim from Brexiteers and the British media, May – “the new iron lady”, as the Daily Mail beamed – declared London’s intention to leave the single market and walk away from talks in the event Britain is offered a bad deal.

HSBC has agreed to stump up £4 million (€4.6m ) to pay back customers subjected to “unreasonable” debt collection practices following a regulatory probe, the Irish Times reported. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said on Friday that the bank has voluntarily agreed to set up a redress scheme for customers who were left out of pocket after paying unreasonable debt collection charges imposed by HFC Bank (HFC) and John Lewis Financial Services Limited (JLFS), both part of HSBC.

New analysis from KPMG reveals that 2016 saw the reversal of a six year downward trend in levels of insolvency for British businesses, following an uptick in companies entering into administration in the second half of the year. The numbers, taken from notices in the London Gazette, show that 1,174 companies, or groups of companies, entered into administration across the UK during 2016, compared with the 15-year low of 1,111 in the previous year. The picture in the Midlands shows a similar trend, with insolvencies in the region increasing in the year from 163 to 169.

Although Britain’s economy has so far not suffered the economic blowback that many predicted would follow the vote in a referendum last year to quit the bloc, British companies that import or export goods and services are anxiously assessing the potential costs of departure, the International New York Times reported. Complicating matters is continuing uncertainty over the terms of departure that the government wants to negotiate.

The British government opened a long-awaited consultation on how to crack down on corporate fraud, money laundering and false accounting on Friday, in what it billed as an effort to repair public trust in businesses and improve accountability. Government ministers floated suggestions that ranged from introducing tough, U.S.-style laws that punish companies for the crimes of their staff to holding companies accountable for failing to prevent staff from committing such crimes and merely strengthening regulatory regimes.

The number of UK businesses entering into administration has risen in the last six months, according to analysis from KPMG, Economia reported. The Big Four firm found that 1,174 companies entered into administration last year, compared with 1,111 in 2015, which was then a 15-year low. According to data collected from notices in the London Gazette, while the first six months of the year continued to see a decline in insolvencies, the second half of the year saw numbers rise.

The quarterly economic survey from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and business advisers BDO shows that local firms ended 2016 more upbeat than compared to their immediate predominately gloomy reaction following the EU referendum vote in June, the Irish Times reported. However, when it comes to prospects for 2017, Northern Ireland businesses are decidedly pessimistic about what might lie ahead for the local economy – and that was before the growing political crisis this week.

Among UK retailers, Next has tended to give some of the most cautious guidance. This year, that looks the right approach. The clothing chain predicts a particularly doom-laden year for the British high street and warned pre-tax profit may fall by as much as 14 percent. That's down to Next's own issues, but also spiraling costs for retailers. Britons' more ready embrace of online than consumers in some other markets adds to the crunch. Unlike various rivals, Next plans to pass Brexit-related manufacturing cost increases on to its customers.

The chances that the U.K. will quit the single market and revert to a tariffs regime have grown more likely with the resignation of the British envoy to the European Union, an experienced Brussels insider who was reviled by the leading Brexit supporters, Bloomberg News reported. Backers of a clean break from the EU cheered the departure of Ivan Rogers as a sign the U.K. government is committed to regaining complete control of immigration, laws and budget even if that means fraying trade ties.