Ed Sheeran calls Gaza situation ‘catastrophic and unjustifiable’ amid Macklemore tour row

Ed Sheeran said he questioned whether he “wanted to be an artist at all” as controversy over Macklemore’s removal from his world tour threatened its future.

Support acts and the backing band for the star’s current The Loop tour dropped out of the remaining dates after the US rapper, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was removed from the line-up following comments about the conflict in Gaza .

Performing for the first time since the incident unfolded, Sheeran told the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia: “I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on.

“I really didn’t know whether I’d be even getting on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all.

“In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it’s been a weird week. I just feel like it happened very quickly.”