UK/Europe PhD options if I drop out (due to funding)

So short version: I ran out of funding 2 years ago for a PhD in a field I love but have no career aspirations in. I managed to get a 2 year suspension of studies while I returned to the US and got a job. Now that's coming to an end, and while I really really would love to finish my PhD and keep a hand in the subject, I'm not sure now is the right time for me to drop $10k to work part time and remotely on a project where my progress on the thesis during the suspension has been very slow.

My understanding from the university is that I either stay enrolled and finish, or I basically abandon it forever. Is this true? If I officially leave the program now, is there any hope of picking it back up and submitting the thesis at some more ideal time in the future? Whether at that university or another one ? (In the UK/Europe/or somewhere else without the US's coursework requirements).