Selectortone - that's the one I meant, selling at around £850, but as I mentioned, the bed length might be a limitation. It looks a nice lathe but if you need say 3 ft or so between centres then it's just not suitable. It just depends what OP's needs are. There is also a stand to consider and accessories - I paid £160 for my Evolution chuck, and a further £75 for O'Donnell jaws. I'm not sure what OP's budget is meant to cover but I was trying to compare prices in my experience. As I said, I don't have experience of a modern lathe but it I am sure your comments about that Axminster one would be useful to OP.
Regarding where to get graduates from, well mine was advertised at £200 on ebay, then re-advertised at £150, so I bought it at £150. I had to travel about 130 miles each way to collect but it was worth it. I have seen the sanding tables sell on ebay for about £80, so I did quite well. There's no bed but I only wanted a bowl lathe since I already had my ML8 for spindle work. Then along came the offer of the Viceroy on ebay, so now I have 3 lathes ( and 2 metal lathes), and a shortage of space.
Edit - Another option could be the AT1016 at £600, as mentioned, plus a bed extension for £185. That one is trade rated. A home built stand would leave you enough for a chuck and some sets of jaws.
K