diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/Logger.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/Logger.php
index 66173300efee93265efcd6298a662178716277d3..24ac413ed957da10c8573aebb614ff33c87d02f0 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/Logger.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/Logger.php
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ namespace SimpleSAML;
 class Logger
 {
     /**
-     * @var \SimpleSAML\Logger\LoggingHandlerInterface|false|null
+     * @var \SimpleSAML\Logger\LoggingHandlerInterface|false
      */
-    private static $loggingHandler = null;
+    private static $loggingHandler;
 
     /**
      * @var integer|null
@@ -439,12 +439,14 @@ class Logger
             }
             $handler = $known_handlers[$handler];
         }
+        /** @var \SimpleSAML\Logger\LoggingHandlerInterface */
         self::$loggingHandler = new $handler($config);
 
         self::$format = $config->getString('logging.format', self::$format);
         self::$loggingHandler->setLogFormat(self::$format);
     }
 
+
     /**
      * @param int $level
      * @param string $string
@@ -460,7 +462,7 @@ class Logger
         } elseif (php_sapi_name() === 'cli' || defined('STDIN')) {
             // we are being executed from the CLI, nowhere to log
             if (is_null(self::$loggingHandler)) {
-                self::createLoggingHandler('SimpleSAML\Logger\StandardErrorLoggingHandler');
+                self::createLoggingHandler(\SimpleSAML\Logger\StandardErrorLoggingHandler::class);
             }
             $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] = "CLI";
             if (self::$trackid === self::NO_TRACKID) {