Shailesh Vara, a minister from the Northern Ireland Office who was not well-known until he fought against Theresa May’s Brexit plan in 2018, was one of those people.
After just five months, he resigned.
He stated that the deal proposed would leave the UK in a “half way house” with the EU remaining within its custom rules.
The MP for North West Cambridgeshire warned that Northern Ireland would have a different relationship with the EU than the rest of the UK.
He also stated that the UK’s constitutional integrity must be respected.
Nearly four years later, he will be the man who steers the controversial protocol bill of the government through the House of Commons in the next fortnight.
He will supervise the passage of the law if he is appointed full-time secretary of state when the next Conservative leader arrives.
His appointment as a hard-line Brexiteer will please the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP and other unionists who want to see the protocol change.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of DUP, welcomed his appointment and stated that he would bring new energy to the position.
However, Mr Vara’s Brexit credentials won’t be easy to match with other Stormont parties.
Michelle O’Neill, vice-president of Sinn Fein, spoke to her on Thursday and said that he had a duty to respect the outcome of the assembly election. This result returned Sinn Fein as the largest political party.
However, the DUP’s refusal of forming a power-sharing executive to protest the Northern Ireland Protocol has prevented Ms O’Neill from taking up the role as first minister.
Colum Eastwood, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), was sharper in his reaction to the new appointment.
He stated that his party was not impressed by Mr Vara’s knowledge of Northern Ireland issues, and that they don’t expect him to stay here for too long.
Although Vara may be acting as a secretary of state in temporary capacity, he will still have to make big decisions.
His predecessor, Mr Lewis, had previously promised to get around the health minister and his Department to order abortion services in Northern Ireland.
He was given the power to act at Westminster as the government had a legal obligation.
Brandon Lewis had promised to act “relatively quickly” and this will now be the responsibility of the new secretary.
It is unclear if Vara supported the extension as he did not vote at Westminster.
A second pledge from his predecessor will be a bigger challenge.
If the DUP continues to block the election Stormont speaker and the return to the assembly, Mr Lewis promised to reduce the salaries of Northern Ireland Assembly members.
Although the threat has not had much impact, it is still an option for Secretary Trump.
If Vara wants to avoid being called the secret secretary of state when he leaves, he has some major calls that he could make.
