He worked for the NHS and you saw him there? The NHS have very strict guidelines about contact with therapists outside of whatever clinic they work for and have very tight boundaries around what therapists can and can't share about themselves. The fact that you have personal contact details for him suggests he's been working outside of those boundaries, which in turn suggests some degree of burn out or skewed judgement on his part. He may not be able to give you any more explanation because it's private and personal to him, or because his employer won't let him, or because he doesn't work there any more and isn't allowed contact with ex-clients. It's anyone's guess really but if he's not doing any client work, he's unlikely to be able to offer you what you need or want here.

If the clinic have suggested a new T that's too far away, and you want another T, it might be worth asking them for someone closer - or maybe that new T could see you at your old clinic. If you don't want further therapy, I wouldn't even bother communicating with the new T cos s/he isn't involved in your current situation and can't be involved with someone who isn't their client.