The new Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, landed in Belfast last night, promising to implement government policy on the Belfast Agreement. It was his first time back since leaving the Northern Ireland Office three years ago.
The former junior minister with responsibility for political development at Stormont worked alongside the then Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, in the run-up to the signing of the Belfast Agreement on Good Friday in 1998.
He chaired the crucial Strand One talks, which concentrated on new political structures within Northern Ireland itself.
His commitment to the agreement he helped broker remains undiminished and political sources at Stormont told The Irish Times he would seek meetings with the parties and the Government regarding suspension as soon as possible.
He is expected to meet the press at an engagement in Belfast later this morning.
Mr Murphy, who served as secretary of state for Wales in his native country until yesterday morning, is well acquainted with the leading political figures in Belfast and in Dublin.
Reaction to his return was positive, with political opinion on all sides viewing him as a solid performer. His personal style will differ fundamentally from that of Dr John Reid.
Mr Murphy is a quieter operator who adopts a consensual approach. He is said to have considerable powers of persuasion during political discussions and is a good debater. Sources describe him variously as patient and careful.
He spoke yesterday of "the determination of everybody in Northern Ireland to see the agreement work".
"It is very important that we secure the achievements of the agreement for the long term," he said, adding that the agreement was the one "I helped make."
Mr Murphy, MP for the rock-solid Labour seat of Torfaen in Wales, worked at the Northern Ireland Office from 1997 until 1999.
He was second in command to Dr Mo Mowlam and used the title Minister for Political Development, although he also had ministerial responsibility for the Department of Finance and Personnel, the NIO information service and for overseeing issues relating to the European Union. He was also responsible for liaison on Scottish and Welsh devolution.
He is a Catholic and single. He was a lecturer in history and government at the Ebbw Vale College for Further Education. Coming from a working-class background - his father was a miner and his mother a shop worker - Mr Murphy joined the Labour Party at 16.
He was elected to the House of Commons in 1987, the year of Mrs Margaret Thatcher's last general election victory.
He is said by one Tory MP to have the oratorical skills typical of the Welsh valleys and he is noted in the Commons as an effective speaker.
A liberal on lowering the age of consent for homosexuals, but anti-abortion, he has a reputation as a hard-working MP. His other political concerns include the environment and homelessness.
He is said to be proud of his Irish roots. His great-grandparents were from Co Cork.
On becoming Labour leader, Mr Tony Blair appointed him as opposition spokesman on Northern Ireland in 1994 before moving him to shadow defence spokesman with special responsibility for the Royal Navy. He is described as a "Blairite" as opposed to a traditional Labour politician.
As is traditional, his appointment has been greeted with a chorus of good wishes.
Significantly there was no negative comment yesterday, at least publicly, regarding Mr Murphy's legacy during his last years in Belfast.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said news of his appointment helped ease the disappointment of Dr Reid's departure for London.