Charlotte Church has accused Ed Sheeran of choosing "consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing", after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.

Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoters, not him. The row has seen ticket prices drop and sales decline for the remaining US leg of his Loop Tour.

On Saturday he apologised to fans for making "mistakes" as he opened his first show since the controversy.

Sheeran has been approached for comment.

Sheeran is one of the most successful songwriters of all time. He has sold more than 120 million records and spent more than 1,000 weeks on the US album charts.

Church, who has taken part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, told the audience at Charlotte Church's Pop Dungeon at Depot in Cardiff on Sunday - the day after Sheeran apologised - that the conflict had "massively changed" her.

"Whilst he [Sheeran] has made millions and has an enormous following, he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world, he chose consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing."

She said she did not agree that "musicians shouldn't be involved in politics, politics is life".

"Ed Sheeran, we're watching you," she added.

The controversy began on 4 September, when Macklemore, a long-time pro-Palestine activist, performed as the opening act atSheeran's concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

He told the audience: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine."

The Thrift Shop rapper then performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. The lyrics are critical of Israel's military actions in Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.

The following night, Macklemore referred to the death toll as a genocide, a claim that Israel rejects.

In response, the Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour, and the campaign group StopAntisemitism said the musician had ambushed fans with propaganda.

Concert promoter Messina Touring Group said Macklemore was dropped because some venues - such as Kraft's Gillette Stadium - would cancel Sheeran's planned concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill.

Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed he banned the US rapper from performing at Gillette, accusing Macklemore of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric.

"I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate," Kraft said.

Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's tour on 14 September.

Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham, American singer-songwriter Finneas, and Irish folk band Beoga quit Sheeran's tour following Macklemore's departure.

Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, said artists should "not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed".

At Sheeran's concert in Philadelphia on 20 September, the singer began by addressing the controversy, and spoke for nearly four minutes at the start of his set, saying he had made "mistakes" handling the fallout.

"I never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet," Sheeran said.

He described the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks as "horrific" and called the situation in Gaza "unjustifiable".

Sheeran told the crowd that while he was used to facing criticism for his music, "this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I've had to take and make difficult decisions - and I am making mistakes - and I'm so, so sorry".

He said he wanted to "address the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand".

"I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division", he continued. "But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore."

Sheeran said what happened in Israel on 7 October was "horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain", and what was happening in Gaza was "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate".

"My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian lives, of children's lives, and this systemic injustice we're seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked."

He said he was working out how to contribute in a way that would help "victims of these terrible times - and listening and learning, because I do not know enough".

The British singer became emotional as he told the crowd his concert was "still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views".

He said that he had not known "whether this tour would be carrying on" and "whether I even wanted to be an artist at all", but that he had returned to the stage because he was committed to his fans.

Sheeran has been contacted for comment on Church's remarks.