thats the $64million question. technically yes (no airways of course) but it comes down to currency and the quality of the instruction as well as having an aircraft that is capable of IMC flight AND navigation.
Most hired aircraft are not IMC capable, whether it is crap avionics that are not FM Immune or accurate or just that dont work at all. Also the UK generally has very low freezing levels which again most club hire aircraft are nopt capable of dealing with as they have no de-ice/anti-ice.
The quality of instruction is also very variable going from failry low hours FI's able to teach the IMC to high hours full IR instructors.
The IMC is a great rating, well worth doing. It needs constant practice at all aspects of flying IMC, this includes, sustained instrument flight, and approaches. It is very easy to get out of currency and expect to just be able to switch back to the guages when you hit IMC because you have a ticket that says you can and thats when things have the potential to go wrong.
My view personally is go out, get some experiance flying in day VFR try other new things and mature as a pilot before you try Instrument flight. (There will of course be the usual round of people telling you do aeros and tail wheel conversions instead, not my cup of tea really allthough I have done them).
It strikes me that a lot of people go into the IMC "early" after listening to talk in the bar/club of pilots "larging it up" about how clever they think they are because the can fly in cloud.
At your stage in your flying you are barely able to operate the aircraft let alone contemplate flying it with sole reference to the instruments. If the weather is so marginal you may end up in IMC then is it a good day to fly?
Enjoy your flying, look out the window and admire the view, this is one of the key things about learning to fly and when you are ready to expand the envelope then consider the IMC.
I am an Instrument rated pilot and find there is nothing like climbing above an overcast and sitting in the sunshine, but conversly there is also nothing like cruising along below watching the sun poke through in beams and lighting the landscape.