Oxeagle
No way to get an airways legal aircraft (UK only, or UK+Europe) for £30k.
A few years ago I was looking for an IFR aircraft which would be legal around Europe and it was just about doable for about £60k, if you got lucky. But if you want to fly above FL095 (often necessary for both weather and airway MEA reasons) then you need an BRNAV GPS which, as a minimum, is an IFR approved GNS430. Personally I think the moving map on a 430 is very small. But you also need an ADF, DME and a load of other stuff which all has to work and you aren't likely to get that for £60k, and if you did it will probably be on its last legs. The entry level for European IFR is likely to be over £100k and you are looking at something around the level of a good condition TB10 or (if you want something really capable) a TB20. Or the Piper/Cessna stuff if you like that sort of thing
However I suspect you are after "UK IFR" i.e. flying around Class G on the IMC Rating, and for that the
legal equipment requirement is minimal. The
practical requirement is going to be a decent panel mounted GPS backed up by a VOR and DME. For IFR in Class D you need extra stuff - look at Schedules 4 and 5 of the ANO.
For IFR (in VMC or in IMC) in
Class G in the UK, almost any old piece of bent metal will be legal. Whether you, a father of six children say, will want to is another matter
Buying a pricey bit of kit too early could well end in tears
The ownership argument cuts both ways. Yes it's a steep learning curve, and this is not cheap hobby, but nothing will do as much for your flying enjoyment, and safety (through currency) as good access to something decent. I was looking to buy shortly after starting my PPL (it was pretty obvious there was no other way) and my chief regret is that I was not able to do it sooner. Of course the instructors got really p1ssed off over this, not least because they could see they weren't going to get much self fly hire income out of me. That's one of the biggest pitfalls in ownership - in GA you never quite know who is grinding what axe.