She was educated at Mount St Mary's College in Leeds and the University of Salford, gaining a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in politics and contemporary history.

[citation needed] Keeley was elected as a Labour councillor on Trafford Council in 1995 for the ward of Priory, serving until 2004.

[citation needed] On the council, she was a cabinet member for children and young people, early years and childcare and health and wellbeing.

In June 2006, she moved to be PPS to Jim Murphy as Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.

Keeley endorsed Andy Burnham in the 2015 Labour leadership election,[4] which was subsequently won by Jeremy Corbyn, who appointed her in September 2015 as Shadow Minister for Older People, Social Care and Carers.

[5] In June 2016, Keeley was among the dozens of shadow ministers who resigned from Corbyn's frontbench team following the EU referendum.

[9][10] When Starmer was elected Labour leader in April 2020, Keeley left the Shadow Cabinet and returned to the backbenches.

Keeley rejoined the frontbench in March 2022 when she was appointed Shadow Minister for Arts and Civil Society, replacing Rachael Maskell, who resigned 3 months prior following her opposition to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for NHS staff.

[18] In 2018, Keeley expressed concern about a fall in the number of psychiatrists treating children and young people in England.