Your miltary SEP experience will count towards a PPL and beyond; the 'IR' won't count for anything except simulated IF time.
Have a look in LASORS for PPL military accreditation and you'll find that it is all spelt out for you.
Whether you elect to go for a modular or integrated CPl course will be decided by your personal circumstances. Some airlines allegedly express a preference for integrated course graduates, but since the airlines contribute nothing towards flight training these days they are hardly in a position to comment!
Even with a CPL/IR with ATPL knowledge credit (colloquially termed a 'frozen ATPL'), MCC etc under your belt, you will be lucky to be hired by an airline unless the demand picks up substantially. Currently it is assessed that European airlines offer excess capacity to market need, so I can't see a mass hiring rush coming along for a while.
A VFR CPL wouldn't get you an interview; the minimum has to be CPL/IR with ATPL knowledge plus MCC.
You cannot hold an ATPL until you have achieved, amongst other things, 500 hours multi-pilot time in a/c certified for operation by 2 pilots (e.g. 500 hours as a Dash 8 F/O).
Of course if you invested £27K in premium bonds, you might be lucky to win some more dosh. Alternatively, go along to your friendly bank manager (if he/she isn't on the end of a phone in a Bangalore call centre) and discuss finance options.