It is astonishing that Karen Bradley, the government minister responsible for protecting the outworkings of the fragile Good Friday Agreement, admitted to being “slightly scared” of Northern Ireland before her appointment as Secretary of State in January. She also seemed unaware some of its fairly basic divisions. “I didn’t understand things like when elections are fought, for example, in Northern Ireland – people who are nationalists don’t vote for unionist parties and vice versa,” she admitted.

While refreshing for the candour and openness with which she described her initial impressions of the region, her comments will do little to instil a sense of confidence in a government that had already been seen as disinterested in the affairs of Northern Ireland.

Jenny Chapman, the shadow Brexit Minister, called the admissions embarrassing not only for Bradley but also for Theresa May’s administration more generally: “Given this worrying lack of basic knowledge about Northern Ireland, it’s no wonder the Tories don’t seem to understand the vital importance of preventing a return of a hard border there.”

In the New Statesman Patrick Maguire places responsibility firmly with the Prime Minister, noting that it was Theresa May who appointed Karen Bradley to the Northern Ireland Office as a reward for being a “trusted … lieutenant” when they were both at the Home Office together – not for her suitability for the role of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at one of the most challenging junctures in the post-Good Friday era.

In defence of Bradley, she isn’t the first UK government minister to be unfamiliar with the position she was taking up. It is a Cabinet post that most UK politicians who are offered it approach with a degree of trepidation, and find it difficult to assert themselves once in office.

James Brokenshirewas at the helm at the time of the collapse of the Executive in January 2017. He was seen as being overly passive in his attempts to secure the re-establishment of the institutions, and also provoked criticism for an apparent unawareness of important contexts. When he wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph on 28 January 2017 on the “imbalance” of legacy investigations and their “disproportionate” focus on British soldiers, Brian Feeney noted the “ineptitude” of the article’s timing: “No one would give him the credit of even being aware of the coincidence of the date he chose, when British soldiers killed most innocent victims in Ireland.”

In a place with as much history as Northern Ireland, nuances and understanding are important; it isn’t just the current office holder who might not have had much awareness of even the more basic sensitivities before taking up the post.

It is very difficult to get away from the fact that the Secretary of State’s comments have ensured that the trust of the British government and its position on the peace process and Northern Ireland as whole has been undermined and continues to fracture as time goes by – and it was already low to begin with. How will the British government regain the trust of the people of Northern Ireland, nationalist and unionist (and neither) alike?

But Karen Bradley should make the most of this gaffe. With expectations low and the mood pessimistic of a political breakthrough at Stormont, she could surprise – and earn the respect – of her critics through her actions, not her words. She has already announced a cut to MLAs’ pay, due to take effect in November. She could be much more radical in her approach to incentivise the parties to reach a deal. Could she appoint an independent mediator? Could she give parties an ultimatum or else unresolved issues will be addressed by Westminster? Could she bring forward the date of the next British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and give a greater say to the Irish government in the absence of a devolved government?

Ultimately, it will be what she does as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, not what she has said, that still gives Karen Bradley the chance to succeed in her role. And by choosing not to do very much, it is also how she may fail.