Ed Sheeran said he felt “abandoned” by family and friends amid backlash over Macklemore’s removal from his tour after the rapper’s pro-Palestinian comments. During an emotional Philadelphia concert, Sheeran apologised for bringing politics into the show and said the controversy had made him reconsider his previously non-political stance.

Sheeran described the Gaza conflict as “catastrophic and unjustifiable” while condemning Hamas’s 7 October attacks as “horrific”. He said he had feared the tour might be cancelled, but noted that 50,000 people attended the Philadelphia performance despite boycott calls and protests; Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was dropped after criticism from Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft.