The Sunday Telegraph has learned a government-commissioned review, expected to be led by Reg Bailey, chief executive of the Mothers' Union, will lay the ground for new laws which could see individual companies prosecuted.
Mr Bailey's review will gather evidence of ways children are having unfair commercial pressure put on them or being "prematurely sexualised" by retailers amid protests over high-heeled shoes and provocative underwear aimed at girls as young as 10.
Ministers at the Department for Education intend to "legislate or regulate" against the worst offenders, many of whom have already sparked fierce criticism from parents.
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