Beckles was born on 12 September 1961 in Borde Narve Village, three months before parliament history was created in Trinidad and Tobago growing up without electricity or running water.

[4] Beckles first entered parliament when she was appointed an opposition Senator for the People's National Movement (PNM) in 1995.

[1] Beckles was Trinidad and Tobago's first female Deputy Speaker of the Parliament from 2007 until 2010 and served as Leader of Opposition Business from 2010 until 2013.

[1][4] In November 2012, she was elected lady vice-chair of the PNM,[2] but she was dropped from the senate by party leader Keith Rowley in December 2013.

[9] Beckles was appointed Trinidad and Tobago's Permanent Representative to the UN by Prime Minister Rowley in August 2016.