Forrest was first elected in the Mid Ulster by-election, 1956 which was called after two previous MPs had been declared ineligible to sit. Initially elected as an independent, Forrest soon joined the Ulster Unionist Party and successfully contested the seat in three general elections. He became a prominent supporter of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O'Neill's liberal policies and became reviled by many of O'Neill's opponents. In 1967 he was pulled off a Twelfth of July platform in Coagh and kicked unconscious by members of the Orange Order 
Following his death, his wife Anna was chosen to take over his candidacy, although the by-election was won by Bernadette Devlin.
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