Hi,
That's a considerable budget for a first 'scope. In your position, I'd probably be tempted to get a dobsonian, and then one or two quality eyepieces. My first scope was a Meade Lightbridge, and I loved it. I learnt a bit about the sky using that, just star hopping to locate objects of interest. Stupidly, I sold that scope a few years ago. I've just got hold of a second hand Skymax 127 on a goto. These things promise to be simple straight away, but they're not entirely - and I feel reasonably confident that I know what I'm doing.
Having said all that, I must confess that if I had £1000 to spare right now, I'd probably go Celestron 6SE, or even push it to an 8SE.
In normal times, I'd recommend attending a local astronomy group so that you could look through a range of instruments before deciding. Alas, that door is not open to you. However, the second-hand market is!