Flying in IMC is one thing, but flying over the last few days would have involved flying in the vicinity of CBs and associated thunderstorm activity which has tested the most experienced and professional of pilots and biggest of aeroplanes.
The recent weather is a fine example of the "four seasons in one day" that can often occur in the UK.
To suggest that anyone with a IMC rating or any amount of experience could have coped if caught out in the weather we've had, when flying a light aircraft is, to say the least, highly questionable.